Beating Cancer In Heels: Inspire yourself

Before I was diagnosed with Cancer, I didn’t know much about inspiring myself. I guess I thought I didn’t need to or I did and I didn’t realize what I was doing. Whatever the case was, once I got sick, I couldn’t get enough of it.

I was looking for inspiration 24/7 and doing exactly that got me through some of my hardest times. It wasn’t easy at first, having Cancer at 25 was not very common. Well at least at that time it wasn’t. It seemed as though there weren’t any young people standing up and courageously saying, “You can and will get through this!” (This was before Instagram).

Even if they didn’t know how I could get through all of it, I just needed to hear that, from anyone who understood my pain and suffering. I wanted to know that I could still live and feel strong and be beautiful through this huge battle for my life. I tried my hardest, but I couldn’t find anyone whom I could relate with. It sounded like crickets, crickets on a very quiet night for me.

Finally, I was linked to a young survivor through a non-profit organization that catered to young people diagnosed with Cancer. I was just as excited as a child who was just told there wouldn’t be any homework for the weekend. I couldn’t wait to speak to what would be my new hero. I had so many questions for her, so many questions….and I just knew she would be able to answer them. I was certain that if I told her how I felt she would understand and that single thought alone lifted my spirits.

Sadly, I was left very disappointed. When I expressed to her how upset I was due to the fact that I was going to lose my hair, she told me “Not to worry, it would grow back.” There I was young, sick and feeling super strong in regards to my sickness. Yet weak-minded about my hair loss and feeling dismissed by someone whom I expected to understand my feelings. Not only did I feel guilty for feeling this way but I also felt even more alone than before.

I started to question myself, “Could I really be the only one that was feeling this way?” Shortly after this realization, I found myself speaking with other cancer patients and realized that they too felt ashamed for being upset about the loss of their physical experience.

Why shouldn’t they? Who is anyone to make light of that, especially if they never went through that battle for themselves? I know people who don’t want to go out if they got a bad haircut. So should I have to feel guilty about something that I didn’t even ask for? I don’t think so. I took that precise moment and decided to use it to inspire myself. I was going to become the survivor I WAS LOOKING FOR and SO CAN YOU!

How do you inspire yourself?

Ask yourself…What would get me through this moment of much needed inspiration?

Tip: Look into inspirational quotes, books, people and music. For Example: “The Fighter” by Gym Class Heroes featuring Ryan Tedder.

Empowerment: “Life is like a bicycle, to keep balance you must keep moving”

– Albert Einstein.

Inspiration for the week: Look up Lizzie Velazquez. She is a motivational speaker and author that was voted the ugliest women. She has empowered herself and now inspires others to feel beautiful despite what people say.

Calming sentence of the week: I will use the strength in others to inspire myself.

That’s it for today Coachee! Stay tuned for more tips from your Life Coach Marlena!

Marlena Ortiz is a Certified NYU Life and Personal Coach and founder of Beating Cancer In Heels and MarlenaLifeCoach.com.