Thanks for your patience as we worked through Wednesday’s technical challenge to bring you “Taming the Tiger: A Simple Path to Releasing Your Fear of Cancer Recurrence.” You’ll find your replay link below.
When things started going wrong right before air time, I’ll admit my first reaction was embarrassment that I couldn’t pull off a well-executed experience for you all. But it didn’t take more than moments to realize that embarrassment was just a waste of time.
When we didn’t go live right away, dozens of you emailed and even called to check how we were doing. You weren’t mad – you just wanted to tell me how important this broadcast was to you, and make sure that you got a link to the replay, even if delayed.
Here’s what you reinforced for me over the last couple of days:
1. When challenges arise, keep your eye on your vision.
It’s easy to get overwhelmed or even give up in the face of factors you can’t control: whether it’s technology issues on a very public webinar, or the specter of cancer recurrence. You reminded me that it’s the vision, the ultimate goal that matters most. Most important: getting out content out that serves you by helping you navigate the issues most important to you. Less important: the technological hurdles encountered in doing so. Most important: knowing you have great power to determine the quality of your hours and days, which add up to the quality of your life. Less important: the fear that keeps trying to steal the joy from your hours and days.
2. Challenges can reveal important truths.
Had all gone as planned, I never would have heard how important this subject was to you, and how much you cared about what I had to offer. Your communications about what mattered to you redoubled my belief in what I do and my determination to serve you. I don’t wish cancer on anyone, but I’ve seen over and over how it can help us appreciate the preciousness of time and make us more willing to accept the support of loved ones. Sometimes the truth is right there, but it takes a challenge for us to see it clearly.
3. Showing up is more important than looking good.
The replay is flawed: the beginning is a little cut off due to a lag between camera and microphone, and the camera switches back and forth imperfectly between my co-host Elyn and me. But you know what? The dialogue is sincere, and I’ll wager you haven’t heard a discussion like this anywhere else. So I’m staying with my gratitude for having shown up and reached you. If you’ve felt diminished either physically or emotionally after cancer, holding back from doing what you love deprives both you and those around you. Show up and do what you’d love to do, even if you have to do it a little differently than before. Sometimes imperfect is just perfect.
Enjoy your replay, and watch it soon: there’s a bonus gift offer inside that ends this Sunday May 10th at 9 pm pacific/midnight Eastern. And don’t forget to share it with anyone you know who’s struggling with fear after cancer – they’ll thank you!
Your comments, as always, most welcome.