I once had a doctor say to me at the end of an examination, “I hope they find a treatment for your condition so you can be happy.”
I stopped her as she was about to walk out the door. I couldn’t just let that go.
“Oh, I’m happy.” I said. “I would just like things to be easier.”
I was reminded of this after watching this YouTube clip from America’s Got Talent in which this woman, who goes by the name Nightbirde and has a two percent chance of surviving her cancer diagnosis, reminds us, “You can’t wait until life isn’t hard anymore before you decide to be happy.”
The song she sings, an original song, is called “It’s OK”.
Years ago, going through a tough time, I got great advice from a friend, “No matter what happens, you will be ok.” Sounds simplistic and Pollyannish, but it’s a change of mindset, the way you see the world. You look for ways a situation will work out rather than for ways it won’t.
From the author James Clear:
“Different meanings can be assigned to the same events.
Look for evidence of how the world is encouraging you, and you will find it.
Look for evidence of how the world is burdening you, and you will find it.
Choose an explanation that empowers you.”
Tough times will often last, last a long time. In the case of someone with a chronic health condition, it can last indefinitely. This doesn’t mean you can do nothing and it will be ok. It means your focus will be on how you can get there. That being ok, and being happy is within your grasp.
If you wait for this or that to happen, you’re wishing your life away. As Jason Benetti and I discussed on this podcast, you only get to live this life once. So let’s go.
As Nightbirde sings, “We’re all a little lost, and it’s ok.”
