My good friend has breast cancer.

She’s 41 years old and otherwise healthy.  She is very fit, active and an avid runner. But, now, she has a new kind of race to run.

Yesterday, I sat with her during one of her weekly chemotherapy treatments.

There were several people there, either receiving treatment or sitting with someone receiving treatment.  The women, in different stages of treatment, spoke to one another about what to expect.

Complete strangers looked into one another’s eyes and admitted sadness or fear.  One woman admitted to simply feeling like crying all the time.

Others in treatment were asking the big questions, such as “Do you see yourself well?”

What a powerful thought, especially coming from one sick person to another. 

By seeing yourself well, you can become well.

In the midst of powerful drugs coursing through their bloodstream, it’s difficult not to be angry  and afraid.  But believing you will get better is every bit as powerful as that dripping drug.

My friend had a simple question for the nurse.  “May I have a glass or two of wine occasionally?”  The nurse’s answer, “Yes,” sent cheers around the room. 

Small victories mean so much more in a difficult situation.

I believe timing is always perfect.

Yesterday, I was meant to experience the emotion and reality of a room of overstuffed arm chairs, filled with sick people who believe they have to feel worse to get better. 

I learned so much by listening to them speak with the others receiving treatment.  I felt blessed to be there as a visitor rather than a patient.  And I have a deeper understanding for what it means to have cancer, in the practical sense.

I am humbled by the courage these people have in order to meet and beat their cancer.  I am encouraged by the enduring strength of the human spirit.  I am glad I was there for my friend.  I think it meant more to me than it did to her.

And I will start to celebrate the small victories.  Those ladies taught me just how glorious they can be.

Coach Charrise.

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By most accounts, we’re in a recession.

Small business owners are particularly challenged by times like these, especially if they’ve not planned for it. 

For those who may be struggling, there are a couple of ways to weather the storm; reactively or optimistically. 

You can stop spending and batten down the hatches, while hoping and praying to survive the crisis. 

This is reactive.  And it will certainly find you on your way out of business, regardless of the fluctuation of the economic cycles.  Getting stuck in doom and gloom will ensure your fate and become a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Or, you can be optimistic and seek out opportunity.  Yes, even in times like these, there can be opportunity.

Have confidence in your abilities and in your agility to seek alternative ways to do business.  Get creative.  If you don’t have a new product to launch, find an imaginative way to market your existing ones.  Believe in reinventing your business.  The climate calls for it.

Recently, I saw a television ad that demonstrates this opportunistic way of thinking. 

The rental car commercial was aired during a family friendly movie on the ABC Family channel.  It featured a young family who had just returned from vacation.  The little boy’s fondest memory was that they drove a Hummer during their trip. 

The notion is that you can drive a practical car in your everyday life, but when memories count, rent something exciting!

These people marketed a Hummer smack dab in the middle of consumers paying the highest gas prices in history.  And they did it sucessfully, by attaching emotion and suggesting a motive which many people may never have considered before. 

While other companies affected by the astronomical gas prices are hunkering down, this rental car company has decided to continue to market and think outside of the box.  And the message changed enough to get my attention. Seems successful and opportunistic to me.

As you adjust to the battering of this economic squall, ask yourself; Am I gloom and doom, or can I see the sun?  How can I survive, and thrive, during this challenging time? 

Burying your head in the sand is not a good option.  Step outside of the box and watch your company set sail, even in the middle of a storm.

Coach Charrise

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