Shining From Within
Overcoming circumstances filled with brokeness. Photo credit: Miguel Bruna on Unsplash
This is the first week of October and, as a cancer survivor, I’d like to acknowledge that this is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The story started back in 2005, when I was diagnosed with stage one breast cancer. I promised myself, then, that I was not going to give up!
At the beginning going through surgeries and hearing about chemo was not easy, especially as a young mother of three small kids. I would be lying if I said I was super positive because I was not then.
I felt as though breast cancer had knocked me down to zero. It was my oppressor in the ring. However, I started building myself up steadily in a direction I never thought I was going to take. I learned how to stand my ground when frustrations struck. I learned the importance of strategy, education, and communication too. My values also took precedence.
Living a life of legacy, where the light shines from within, started becoming more and more important for me. Also, exploration and research started becoming a daily practice for me. There was a phrase I read, then, that resonated with me so much: “Information is power.” While I write this blog post, I am thinking of a few things with this phrase in mind. Mainly, what are we doing every day to create power in ourselves?
To create power, we can start with micro efforts; by starting from within— by going into the DNA of who we really are. Our years of living have created layers of masks within us. These masks are often eroded or spotless, depending on our ecosystems and our journey. Our stories—based on our interpretations of our experiences—have different connotations.
Sometimes those stories are what we want to create, and other times they cover up our wounds—they cover the bad as well as the good. Our truest selves, though, are when we show up with no coverings, no masks—it’s in these moments that we can be truly vulnerable. This isn’t easy. It requires confidence, awareness, self-acceptance, and no judgment.
After battling breast cancer I decided I wanted to tell myself a story of meaning and love, of conviction and knowledge, of family and leadership. Of living wholeheartedly. I want to continue creating my story. I want to continue my journey of exploration and knowledge and always learn something new. I want to always become a better version of myself and, as I told myself from the start, I don’t want to give up!
I know the day I stop it will be because I am gone from the earth. I invite you to join me to connect with your heart and your values. Let’s become creators of our own destiny! Let’s choose to live—in such a way we shine from within each day.
