When you receive a shocking diagnosis you are waiting for information about how serious everything is, about the level of the disease, about the probable treatment, and most of all about the chances of surviving and healing. Mostly there are two possible reactions: Either I fall in desperation and get worked up in fear regarding “what could happen” or I look at the chances and options to support “what could happen.” What I want to happen or what I expect to happen is an inner concept, and how this inner concept looks revealed in exceptional circumstances.

And here we go: The young man who inspired me for this post takes things as they are. He doesn’t interpret anything into it but just moves through the process. He is not judging nor feeling sorry for himself. He simply looks at the initial situation and goes through the procedure step by step. He receives great support in this attitude from his mother and most family members, which solidifies the ground for him to walk through this. His mom nailed it: “What option does he have if he wants to get over it as soon as possible?” He knows about the side effects of the treatment (which can but doesn’t have to happen), but I never noticed him worrying about anything. I was even amazed when he said what positive things go along with the treatment and even the bad reactions to the treatment. It is not that he is searching for reasons to stay positive. He looks at the positive things reflexively! When I was in Vienna lately, I took care of him during the daily hospital routine and duties when his mom was at work. You know what? We had a lot of fun, made jokes, played games, and talked about the situation without any negativity or complaints.

When I was looking at how naturally he deals with his situation, I thought this was something we can apply to any challenge in our lives. Why do we mostly look reflexively at the worst-case or at a possibly bad outcome? Yes, we may be scared and shocked at the first moment, but then we need to clear our minds. Because not accepting, crying, being sorry or angry, or feeling treated unfairly doesn’t change anything about what already happened. How things are now or how they were yesterday does not define how they will be tomorrow. But we are so busy being scared and worrying about what it is that we lose precious time in which we could already lay a basis for a good outcome. How we deal with what is now, on the one hand, defines how we can direct further development and, on the other hand, how we handle further developments.

Of course, being confronted with a deadly disease is the most testing version of using a healthy positive attitude. There are less threatening obstacles we may find in our way.  Basically, nothing in life happens to make life worse but to make us better. When we look back, everything life throws at us pushes us to improve our physical or mental abilities. It teaches not only one person but everybody involved, and that is exactly the way they need it and what they have to learn. Therefore, it is important to look at what we can make out of what we have and how we can improve what is. The secret is being outcome-oriented but not problem-oriented.

This 16-year-old gives us a lesson in not looking at the problem but at the solution. That way, he aligns with the energy of health and healing. As we all know, the thoughts we think generate the feelings we feel and they radiate the energy of that feeling which then aligns with the same energy around us. Like attracts like. That’s why we need to feel what we want to be to make it happen or support the development. This is the good news and the challenge: Be aware that your thoughts are the seed of what you create and how you react to what you create will become your experience. How you experience your life does not depend on a higher force and its goodwill but on the level of your awareness.

Whatever you find in life now is only the initial situation. It is not the result.
Try not to judge what is since you cannot change what already happened anyway.
In not judging you prevent yourself from identifying with the undesired and
you keep your heart and mind free to move towards the place behind the problem.

In Love and Light