Brain Cancer and Perspecitve

Putting things in perspective is something we often fail with on a regular occasion. We find ourselves complaining about traffic, whining about the preparation of a dish at a nice restaurant, hating on coaches, crying about missed lifts and even to the point of being disgruntled that there is “nothing to do.” These are all things that everyone struggles with at some point in their life. But these are not real struggles. Real struggle hit home hard this past weekend. One of the freakiest of athletes, the hardest of workers, the gamer of all gamers, the most respectful kid I have worked with, the kid who never stops until the gas tank is empty...was diagnosed with Stage 3 brain cancer.
Three weeks ago Anthony Myers was busy asking me if he could be the model for my next Bize and Trize book. He was asking if his single leg squat video would be on the “Gram.” He was asking what weight he would have to clean for me to put on social media and tag him. He single leg squatted 300lbs on each leg for multiple reps while only weighing 160lbs at the age of 16. Where is he now? Now he is in the fight of his life. He is battling brain cancer. Scrapping and clawing to figure out how he can survive, how he can work through this tragedy, come out victorious and be a healthy individual. Put the weight room to the side, put the crazy stats on the football field behind us, put the athletic talent to the side, this is about him making it.
I never truly understood what it meant to be an “inspiration” to people when someone was dealt such a poor hand. I have been struggling with a lot lately. I find myself breaking down into tears, crying at random points in my day but also being angered and filled with rage. The question remains unanswered. Why does this happen to good people? Why would my wife, a budding image of perfect health, the most caring individual I know, pregnant with twins, suffer from an intracerebral hemorrhage (stroke)? Why would a 16-year old that works his butt off, that is glowing with positivity, an incredible kid that will contribute tremendously to the world come down with Stage 3 brain cancer? These things leave me frustrated, upset, angered and filled with rage but oddly enough, feeling more positive.
The inspiration is how Anthony is handling the challenge. Sure he is upset, pissed off, scared but he sure as hell is not backing down from the fight. He is taking it head-on. Seeing him has put things into perspective. Things can change at the drop of a dime. One day rushing for 100+ yards and scoring multiple touchdowns, the next day heading to Hershey Medical after suffering a seizure. So what do we have to complain about? What are we doing complaining about mundane things? Why are we worried about things that really do not need to bother us when we start to put things into perspective. Have some perspective heading into today, have some positivity, stop complaining about everything, tell your family you love them, spread good vibes to your surroundings and every day that you wake up, have the goal of becoming a better person on that day. Because when all things are said and done, the only thing you can truly impact is the way YOU handle your life and the way you present yourself to the world. Cultivate your power.