Following Your Gifts Through Adversity
It’s Breast Cancer Awareness month and me writing about it here may seem a departure from my typical musings. However, our pursuit of a meaningful life is not only centered on achievement in our careers or naming our purpose. Moments of adversity give us an opportunity to pull from our core strengths to bring meaning to dark times and give hope to those around us.
So, To Begin…Pink is Not My Color
Every October I’m greeted by well-meaning signs, tagged with pink ribbons to announce Breast Cancer Awareness month. My reaction to the pink ribbon is visceral. The pink ribbon is just too sweet to represent a fight with a cold blooded killer. I’ve asked myself what color it could be? Blue—the color of bruises that marble the arms of women and men who are poked constantly with needles? Red, for red devil chemo? Green, for nausea? I can come up with something for every color of the rainbow, but when you combine all the colors of the rainbow you end up with…black. But black isn’t right either, because black is the color of despair and even though it has broken my heart, I do still believe there is hope in the fight against breast cancer. That hope can be found in bringing your gifts to the fight.
Technicolor is the New Pink
Everyday people continue to show up in technicolor to fight for their lives using their character strengths and win. They use their gifts of Wisdom, Humanity, Courage, Justice, Transcendence and Temperance to thrive and, God willing, survive. And at the same time, we also see the varied strengths within a family faced with breast cancer. Just like a corporate team that leverages its strengths, so must a family when faced with breast cancer. One family member may use her top strength of Judgment to help make treatment decisions. Another may use his Love of Learning to research clinical trials. Another will use their gift of Hope that keeps the team (family) believing in the best outcome, brighter days ahead.
My family did not get to experience that happy outcome. Breast cancer came and took my mother’s life in a six-months period. It was brutal and unrelenting, but never once did she veer away from her character strengths. She took every last opportunity to practice Kindness, to experience Love, and remained grounded in her Humility. Those were her gifts, and they brought her life satisfaction until the end.
Read the Black and White: Get Screened
This year, the National Breast Cancer Foundation RISES to ensure that all women—especially underserved women—have access to the breast health education and lifesaving screenings and mammograms that we need. The bottom line is that early detection saves lives. And so, while I still bristle at the site of a pink ribbon, I will stand firmly with the mission to educate everyone about the importance of early detection and timely high-quality care. GET SCREENED AND KNOW YOUR NORMAL!
