
My name is Heather and I am an 8-year survivor of mesothelioma – a rare cancer caused by asbestos exposure. When I was diagnosed, I had just given birth to my little girl and was told I had 15 months to live. After undergoing a risky surgery, which required the removal of my left lung, I beat the odds and created Lung Leavin’ Day as a way to commemorate this day that changed my life forever.
Lung Leavin’ Day is now used to encourage others to face their fears! One important thing cancer taught me is the importance of acknowledging these apprehensions that prevent us from living life to the fullest extent. Each year on February 2, friends and family gather at my house for a bonfire where we write our fears on plates and smash them into the fire.
This year, we are asking bloggers to face your fears and raise awareness of this event by virtually participating in Lung Leavin’ Day! I have created an interactive page that tells the full story of this special day, which can be found here: Mesothelioma.com/heather/lungleavinday
Here’s some more info you might find interesting::
–Interview about Lung Leavin’ Day with the Mesothelioma Cancer Alliance
–The surgery I underwent to remove my lung
–General mesothelioma information
Do you typically make a New Year’s Resolution? Or resolutions? In the past, I haven’t been good about resolutions. They always seemed too broad or too narrow. So last year I tried something new. I wrote down my overall goals for the year instead.
It worked out pretty well. Even though I didn’t complete all of them {only about four of the 13 to be exact} I still categorize it as successful.
· Take a couples only vacation. Done. That was easy and fun!
· Read a book. Did so on said vacation. Even read two! That should count for bonus points!
· Write an E-book. Nope, didn’t do that. But, I’ve made progress toward that end goal and it’s still on my list for 2014.
· Lose 30 pounds. Although I didn’t lose that much, I lost at least half of that and am much closer to my goal than I was when I started.
And, that’s why I feel successful. Success equals consistently moving forward despite setbacks or detours.
We all have detours and setbacks, both in our personal lives and in our business lives. Do you let them take you completely off track or just derail you for a few moments? Either way, I think it is how you ultimately deal with the setback that matters. No matter how severe, if you are able to refocus and push forward then that’s success.
What are your goals for 2014? Some of my 2013 items have migrated over to my new list. I’m ok with that. Some of mine have grown. In 2013, I wanted to run my first 5k. I did. In 2014, I aim to run my first 10k.
I haven’t allowed anything to fall from sight. If it was a priority then, I’ve at least given the thought and consideration to whether is still should be a priority now. I didn’t cross any uncompleted items off, but did do some slight editing. Some things I’ve copied verbatim over to 2014, {like read a book} just because I enjoyed it and don’t want to lose my motivation to do it again!
And, I’ve added some new goals. That’s what growth is all about, right? Expanding our horizons, trying new things and enhancing the world that we live in. Some of my goals are frivolous and materialistic. That’s ok. Others are more community and service centered, which I think is great.
Regardless of whether I complete these goals; regardless of whether they make me a better, more balanced person; regardless of whether my business soars; I’m happy I took the time to write them down. Self reflection is always beneficial. And, now I have all of you to be accountable to, too 😉