Three Mindset Shifts That Helped Me Through My Cancer Journey
Julie Marini .
After the first two weeks of shock from being diagnosed with leukemia (ALM) wore off, I realized this fight was a marathon, not a sprint. I knew that the way I looked at life and my future needed to change. As anyone who is dealing with a cancer diagnosis knows, it’s one day at a time. Being a planner by nature, living for the moment was a tough pill to swallow. This is when I started to look at things differently. My world had changed and my mindset needed to change with it. Here are the three mindset shifts I made that helped my through my journey:
- I have only one job, get better. I recognized fairly early on that my diagnosis created a whirlwind in all of my family and friends lives. Some people dealt with it better than others. This, inevitably, caused drama all around me. Drama is an energy vampire. To keep my strength and spirits high, I needed to stay out of this drama swamp. I became single-minded in my focus and shut out all the noise around me. While I was a mother, a wife, a sister, a friend, and a coworker, all those jobs were second to my most important job, beat this damn cancer.
- I will be happy with whatever anyone can give. It’s easy to place expectations on the people we love. I was guilty of this. I thought I knew what I could expect from each person in my life. Boy, was I wrong. I was let down by some of my closest friends and family. From comforting others devastated by my diagnosis to the ones that completely ghosted me, my heart started to hurt from these slights. That's when I came to me. I realized I needed to let go of my expectations and be happy with whatever the people in my life were capable of giving. How freeing. When you have no expectations, you will never be disappointed. This new mindset opened me up to so many beautiful gifts. The most unexpected people rose to the top. People who I considered acquaintances ended up being some of my strongest sources of support. By allowing these things to come to me and releasing my expectations of others I found a path to contentment.
- I am going to write my own story. After my doctor had relayed all the big diagnostic words and explained what he could, I decided to take my quest for information to Google. I knew my diagnosis was bad, like, really bad. But, there must be some glimmer of hope out there. I was hungry for some promising statistics and empowering stories of survival. After about an hour of searching for some hope on a computer screen, I realized the hope I was looking for just wasn’t there. This is when it hit me, anything I would find was someone else’s story or just a statistic. I am unique and my story was my own. After that one search, I closed my laptop and never looked online again. This journey was mine and mine alone.
It's hard to believe that 16 years have passed since my diagnosis day. As I look back, these mindset shifts continue to guide me, reminding me of the resolve that carried me through my cancer journey. By prioritizing my well-being, letting go of expectations, and embracing my unique story, I found a wellspring strength amidst fear and doubt. Life's curveballs may seem overwhelming initially, but with the right mindset, they can become catalysts for growth and resilience. So, as you face your own battles, I hope these mindset shifts inspire you to find strength, stay focused, release expectations and, most of all, write your own story.
With Peace and Love,
Jules
