As I was writing a book about the importance of being positive, grateful, and resilient—and then telling the world about it—I faced challenges that forced me to take my own advice. And I don’t always want to do that!
Indeed, many of the experiences I discuss in the book, Life Lessons, have actually been applicable to my own case of late. As I was finishing up the manuscript with great excitement, I needed to have a procedure called an ablation to fix a problem of extra heartbeats.
The procedure was a success, but it came with side effects that lasted for weeks and threatened to distract me from the work at hand. This was frustrating, but I forged ahead to complete the book and published it in time for the early September deadline I had set for myself.
The lesson here was to be resilient. Life sometimes introduces unexpected developments, oftentimes aggravating ones. But that doesn’t mean we can’t move ahead with things that are important to us. This project was the most monumental writing endeavor I’d taken on since launching my career as a journalist in 1980. I was determined to see it through to the end.
I’m not saying being resilient is always easy—and I admit there were a few times when I wanted to quit, even as I approached the finish line!
Another lesson from the book that I employed was to set daily goals. The goals were things like completing tasks related to the book and my freelance assignments. Even if I didn’t always meet the goals, they gave me an incentive to forge ahead.
Shortly after I launched the book, life presented another interruption. This time, a lab test I’d taken showed a decrease in kidney function. That meant a trip to the emergency room to get checked out. While I was there, I experienced an alarming change in heart rate that bought me a quick admission to the hospital.
Fortunately, a few tweaks in the medicines I take appear to have addressed the issues. And the experience offered other opportunities to reconnect with lessons in the book.
One is the importance of trying to remain positive even when things seem daunting. Going to the hospital can be stressful, and I’m always eager to go home. But in this case, being reevaluated might help my health going forward. And I came to look at that as a positive.
My roommate in the hospital also helped me re-learn—or more greatly appreciate—another lesson I cover in the book. This one is about patience. As I noted, I was eager to go home from the hospital. And I made this clear to the staff, especially since I was feeling relatively well.
I wanted to get back to marketing my book. I had momentum and didn’t want to lose it!
Anyone who’s been a patient in a hospital knows that getting discharged can be a long, frustrating process. You need approvals from various healthcare providers, who must follow a chain of command. Staffers need to complete paperwork.
My roommate had been admitted for a test earlier in the week. But each day the test got pushed back for various reasons, meaning he had to keep waiting in the hospital. Even worse, because of the nature of the test he needed he couldn’t eat or drink for much of the time.
Despite this, he remained patient. For sure, he wasn’t thrilled about having to remain in the hospital even though he felt well. But he accepted the circumstances with a serenity that I found inspirational. It made me want to be a bit more patient about getting out.
One final lesson from all this is the importance of gratitude. There is much I have to be grateful for, including the ability to publish a book. And I’ve gotten to hear back from so many people who say the lessons have given them comfort, and confidence to face their own challenges.
This is extremely rewarding.
If you haven’t already, be sure to pick up your copy of Life Lessons today:
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