Confession. The last few weeks have been hard.
When my husband and I went to the ER for what he thought was kidney stones and it was discovered that he had a 15 cm mass on one of his kidneys, our world changed.
In the first two weeks of his diagnosis, we were seen by several Doctors and scheduled for surgery. His kidney had to be removed and he remained in the hospital for 4 days recovering. Bob’s now home, resting and doing great! He has more tests to confirm that the cancer (yep, it came back Stage 2) isn’t anywhere else in his body but otherwise, the Doctors say that he should be fine and should be able to live a normal, long, healthy life. Amen!
While I was in the Hospital with him, I had the chance to do A LOT of thinking. It’s during these times that I find that there’s a lesson that is about to take place. I say that because it was just four years ago when my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer that I had a major period of growth in my own life. Those long days provided the opportunity to think about the lesson I learned when my mom was sick. There were a lot of things going on in my life that needed to change and I was the only one who could do it, even if it was bit by bit and a little each day.
Now I can’t say what I think my (or our) current lesson is. But I have an idea of what it may be. I do however want to share with you this. It was when I decided to take ownership of my actions that my life began to change.
I decided to take responsibility for:
- What I ate
- If I worked out or not
- Whether I stayed in a job I didn’t enjoy
- Who I hung out with
- My self-talk
- My life
So what does that have to do with you? Well, I’m here to tell you that you too, can be a leader of self. You are worthy of living the life you desire.
I will warn you though… it will take work and there will be sacrifices. You must be brave and you must choose to persevere. You must take responsibility for all your actions, both the good and the bad. When you slip up and you will because you’re human, you must give yourself grace and keep moving forward.
How can you become a Leader of Self:
1. If you want to lose weight than take a look at what you’re eating. Are you putting healthy foods into your body? Are you exercising? Do you need accountability and support? What steps do you need to take to lose weight?
2. If you’re working a job you hate, what steps do you need to take to find a job you love? Do you need more training or education? Do you need help to determine what you want to do?
3. You must remember that you and only you are responsible for the life you have.
4. You must BELIEVE in yourself, even when no one else does.
5. You must not give up on your dreams. Every step you take towards becoming a leader of self is worth it.
I believe in you and know how different your life can be when you choose to become a leader of self. Even if you’ve made mistakes like I have, you can turn your life around. Imagine what one-year will look like from now. The journey is pretty amazing!
With Love,
Laura
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