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By: Kathy Kent Toney, President of Kent Business Solutions  Creator: ipopba | Credit: Getty Images I got off the phone with a friend earlier this week feeling so inspired by his story, I just had to share it with you! I met this friend, let’s call him Steve, when I worked at Honeywell years ago. I had been out-of-touch with him for about 15 years and we recently reconnected. I was surprised to hear that that he has been battling a rare form of cancer for about eight years. As he told me his story, I was amazed at the resilience he’s shown, especially when his doctors told him that he had only 12-18 months. I bring this all up, because I believe the way he approaches life can be a model for building resilience in our own lives. Specifically, here are three things I think that can help us towards that end, especially if we choose to do them daily: 1. Choose to Keep Moving Forward, No Matter How Bad Things Appear I was amazed to find out that during this whole ordeal he hasn’t missed any work. WHAT?! If it were me, I probably would have had an multiple queen-size pity parties! But no—he kept working during all his chemotherapy and radiation treatments as well as his current immunotherapy treatments. And he’s not out of the woods. He’s on long-term immunotherapy, which helps prevent the cancer from growing. But he just keeps keeping on, not letting it get the best of him. Lessons Learned: No matter how bad your situation is, just continue showing up in life. Keep putting one foot in front of the other to achieve your goals, no matter how challenging the current state is. 2. Choose an Attitude of Gratitude I was also amazed at how great Steve’s attitude is, even joyous, while we were talking on the phone. He’s so thankful that he’s been able to participate in a drug trial that has helped extend his life and he’s relishing the moments he has. This attitude of gratitude has really helped him not only be resilient, but to continue to face his challenges head-on with grit and grace. Not only that, his story is inspiring people along the way (like me). I’ll share in a bit how this how this great attitude has come back to benefit him… Lessons Learned: choosing to be thankful in the midst of dark times can transform your attitude and inspire others in the process. A positive attitude can make all the difference in the world. 3. Choose to Help Others in The Process In the midst of his own personal storm, he made a promise to God that if he survived this whole ordeal that he would pay it forward by helping others along their cancer journey. He is doing this through a non-profit he established that’s dedicated to helping those who also have this rare form of cancer. He’s working with a world-leading oncologist to help find a cure as well. It’s been a dream of his for a long time, but he wasn’t able to afford it. This is the really cool part of the story, how his attitude of gratitude has benefited him… Someone pledged money to help fund his non-profit! Now he is able to work full-time at fulfilling his dream and commitment to pay it forward through helping patients and their families. He also is helping to raise funds for finding a cure. Lessons Learned: when you choose to help others during the midst of your own personal storm, it pays off in so many ways--you’re blessed in the process and you, in turn, can be a blessing to others. I hope this story inspires you as much as it has inspired me. I also hope these tips can help you become more resilient in your everyday life! **** Speaking of challenging times, companies are certainly struggling these days. That's why I love to help them out, be it through process improvement, digital transformation strategies or even through newsletters like this. I also like to create freebies that help organizations, like a checklist of fun ideas to inspire engagement with remote workforces. If you're interested in learning more about how to do that, just click the button below to download it!
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