One step at a time
By: Devan Robinson
"The empires of the future are the empires of the mind." -Winston Churchill
I remember complaining to my Dad during the earliest months of Fairlead Financial Group's life.
In the span of a few short months I had run the entire-gamut of rookie mistakes. Overestimated my earnings, underestimated my spending - I was focused on the speedometer and not the road. All the classic mistakes you'd expect from a twenty-something just dumb enough to leave the freeway and start a business.
After patiently soaking in all of my moaning, Dad replied something to this effect:
Good. You'll be fine. That's the process for everyone. Just pick one problem and fix it.
He stressed that at some point everything is going to go south on you. Life, business, money, health...whatever. The universe doesn't cooperate. Choose to accept it and get to work solving one problem at a time.
It's funny how things you find so trite in your twenties become goldmines as you get older. Old too soon and wise too late is the saying I think?
The Verdict
It took the wonderful staff here at The James some time to figure out the situation. That's okay with me...I want the Generals to see and understand their battlefield. It's officially Plasmablastic Lymphoma but it took some testing, retesting, and gathering opinions because apparently I don't fit the mold of Plasmablastic...at all.
It's most commonly found in folks with an immunodeficiency such as HIV - but I have none. It's next most commonly found in older, or more frail, folks. So a beefcake, competitive Strongman didn't seem quite right...but so be it.
Apparently I'm brushing up against the unknown a bit.
Good.
I'm happy to be the case-study for the next lucky soul to catch this. I can take whatever they want to throw at me and I might be useful to someone else? Good - that's a win-win in my book.
Find an excuse to win
So how am I doing this week? Frankly, I'm excited. I recently started my chemotherapy and couldn't be more thrilled.
Excited? As Dad reminds me, the key to clawing out of any sticky-situation is tackling one small challenge at a time. Each day of chemo is one-step closer to the end of cancer. Chemo certainly lives up to its reputation so far but it feels good to be marching toward my objective.
With any goal, simply choosing to begin can be cathartic. It's the same for any challenge across all realms: business, life, sports, education, relationships, money.
You do the math. You hit the reps. You take the exam. You endure the chemo. Again and again.
You identify one problem, fix it, and move to the next one. Whatever it takes, you find an excuse to win. Do it over and over and never quit. Stack up enough wins? You earn your new title. It's one of those ironclad laws of the universe.
So for those of you wondering how I am doing? I'm excited to begin because every beginning is also the start of the ending. I have no intention of going anywhere and I am 100% certain I will prevail at the end of this saga.
Let's get back to work - I'll be back at the desk in no-time,
P.S. These women of my life. Man, they're something else. It's awe-inspiring to watch.
They're like aircraft carriers at the center of a strike group; when they turn, the entire Naval fleet turns with them.
From my wife, to my mother, to my mothers-in-law, to the Stroller-Moms gang of Beavercreek. I have no earthly idea how I am so consistently lucky in my life.
Next time I'll try not to buy-and-renovate a house right before catching cancer. Is this perhaps the most elaborate way you've ever seen a husband weasel out of moving-duty?