Today I experienced some of the benefits I have gained since I started my health journey 1.5 years ago after my cancer diagnosis.

After my bowel cancer diagnosis, I committed myself to changing everything in my life, physically and mentally.

I thought that whatever I did to the point of my cancer diagnosis didn’t serve me as otherwise I wouldn’t end up with Stage 3 Bowel cancer.

I had a CT this morning and during treatment I read a lot about how anxious people get before their checks after treatment is finished. It is called scanaxiety.

I made a commitment to myself that I wasn’t going to let anxiety take over my life before every check as I knew I would have to go through a lot of them.

This morning I woke up at 5:30 am and went for a nice swim.

I came home and did a meditation (it is more like a priming exercise to prepare yourself for a successful day – you should check it out – look for “Tony Robbins’s priming exercise” on Youtube or click on: https://youtu.be/oig47qPc3y0

Then I took the kids to school.

On the way to hospital, I listened to some more Tony Robbins.

Yes I can’t get enough of Tony Robbins…but part of my health plan is to constantly feed my mind with goodness and positivity. And his message is just perfect for that every day of the week.

Throughout the whole morning, I had focussed on drinking lots of water as I knew I had to have a cannula put in…so the nurse started the procedure but she couldn’t get the cannula in and had to try my other arm…

I felt the anxiety coming towards me like a tsunami so I exercise some of the habits I have been establishing in the last 1.5 years…

I focussed on my breathing and I started thinking about what I am grateful for.

I thought I was grateful to be in Australia, in a first world country where I get access to an amazing health system.

I thought how grateful I was to be here, alive, breathing….

Before I knew, the procedure was done so I walked out of the hospital.

I grab a nice coffee and a healthy snack (it was coconut yoghurt with cacao and chia seeds).

Then I realised that I have been doing meditation for 1.5 years now (I normally use the app Headspace)…I have been practicing gratitude for the same amount of time.

Part of me feels am I getting any benefits by practicing gratitude or meditation?

But today I truly felt the benefits. I was able to overcome my fear…I was able to stop my thoughts from going crazy…I was able to control my mind.

You know changes are challenging and we all avoid them because it is either too hard or we tell ourselves a story to justify why we can make changes…

On top of that, results don’t come overnight and that in itself put people off from making changes in the first place.

But today I felt that every little meditation I did in the last 1.5 years, every time I sat down and thought what I was grateful for….it was all worth…worth my time…my learning…the changes and the person I am slowly becoming.

If you know deep down, you need to make changes on your life, don’t wait any longer because you are scared to fail…or because you feel it is too hard.

Put a plan in place…work on one thing at a time…set small goals that are achievable.

Don’t expect results overnight…enjoy the ride.

It is all part of the journey, the learning itself is what shapes you…the person you want to become.

So…what is the change you are going to commit to today? This week? This month?