I’m still Standing! Literally!
Hi awesome people!
It’s been a while since we last connected about my Be Healthy Tour …
Medical Updates:
Let’s start with - I’m still in remission and getting stronger and stronger. I’ve been working full time for over a year now and also running my men’s groups and retreats in the evenings and weekends.
I’m on a maintenance plan to keep the cooties away - the plan consists of taking a very small dose of one chemo orally and I get a shot of another chemo dose that’s very low in dosage too in my belly every 2 weeks.
Also, every two weeks, I get blood work done to evaluate my health and every two weeks it’s been good news.
My physical therapy for my back is complete and my back is getting stronger which inspired this new post.
Lastly, my two boys have had me on a strict diet this last month so I’ve lost between 6 to 8 pounds and I’ve got momentum to keep going for my optimal weight.
Personal Observations:
Visions do come true …and my vision happened this week!
As a reminder, all this cancer talk started 2 years ago this weekend. My cancer treatment included a back surgery because the multiple myeloma had caused 5 breaks in my lower back. After the surgery, I couldn’t walk for months without a walker, I wasn’t allowed to lift more than 5 pounds, and my kids had to help me put my socks and shoes on.
After my back surgery, I declared my vision for my desired future which served as my north star to getting healthy: My declaration was a commitment to get healthy and to strengthen/rehab my back, so that I could play a competitive basketball game with my two oldest friends, against my two sons and two nephews.
Attached are the pics from our game this past Wednesday! My vision came true! I was healthy enough to play a competitive game – and the “elders” even won! And we even won the trash talk area
As I reflect on my journey, I thought about Viktor Frankl’s book, “Man’s Search for Meaning.” Frankl was a survivor of the Nazi concentration camps and in his book, he outlines the role HOPE played with the people who survived the camps and those who did not.
Simply put …those who had HOPE …those who believed there was a reason to live, and who gave themselves a reason to look to the future, were the ones who survived. The ones who lost hope did not make it.
Making declarations about your vision serves as a game changer because it establishes a desired future to go towards - and – my declaration around playing in this game was used as an opportunity to galvanize and align all my friends/family (including myself) to support me in getting to that future state with velocity.
Powerful and clear declarations need to be delivered in an intentional way, using future based language which helps to shape, influence, and create the environment you desire - even without the evidence that it’s ever been done before - that’s what makes future based language so powerful. This kind of language moves you forward towards your “North Star” especially important when challenges arise. And challenges will always arise on the journey …
When we stand powerfully inside the declaration for a desired future, the future then dictates and impact’s our present day, choices, decisions, and behaviors – our future becomes aligned with our present day, and serves as the pipeline for everything we do TODAY.
What carried the day for me during these last 2 years, was this use of language, which was based in the future, giving me hope, a purpose, a roadmap, and an inspired desired place to go towards – for me it was this competitive basketball game.
This experience has served as a reminder for me to be purposeful in my declarations and language as I move forward.
Thank you again and again and again! Thank you for being part of my journey and lifting me up.
With love, positive intentions, and healing,
Nick
