Chicken Soup

[Guest guest]

Bill,

Did you know there's a recipes section of the Graves group? It's at

graves_support_recipes >. Not much activity, but you can

certainly change that!

Terry

> " billbeason1969@...>

> Reply-To: graves_support

> Date: Tue, 11 Feb 2003 14:53:39 -0000

> To: graves_support

> Subject: Chicken Soup

>

> I have a great recipe for chicken soup as well as a few other kinds

> of soup. If anyone is interested please email me.

> Bill

>

>

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> intended to replace expert medical care.

> Please consult your doctor before changing or trying new treatments.

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>

> Advertisments placed on this yahoo groups list do not have the endorsement of

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[Guest guest]

Finding My Passion

By Lyn

I know a lot about passion because in the process of living, I lost it, but

in the process of dying, I found it again.

My life was about three things: pleasing, proving and achieving. I thought

that if enough people liked me, I would feel better about being me. I wanted

desperately to please everyone . . . family, bosses, neighbors, people I didn't

like. It hardly mattered who they were; other people's approval and validation

were the source of my self-esteem. " Looking good " was my daily regime, and I

was incredibly good at it. I continually quested for greater and greater

accomplishments because those proved my value to the outside world.

This thinking affected the entire fabric of my life. My work was a series

of long hours, proving my dedication and making sure I never offended anyone. I

made impossible promises that were hard to keep because I was afraid to say no,

which added untold amounts of stress. By constantly reacting to outside

circumstances rather than taking charge of my life, I felt victimized and I

lived in fear that " they " - whoever " they " were - would suddenly discover I was

incompetent. The fact that I was the youngest woman in my company to hold an

executive position and became director of corporate communications while still

in my mid-20s did not assuage my concern. Nothing soothed my self-doubt.

The only solution I knew was to try harder, work longer, achieve more. I

just knew I'd be happy when I did the right thing. I left the corporate world

knowing that being independent would change everything. Ironically, I became a

career consultant and taught people how to look good and be aware of what others

expected of them. I knew all about that.

Of course, I was still a people-pleaser and took lower fees because I

feared no one would use my services. Instead of being driven by the demands of

a boss, I was driven by the demands of my clients. I couldn't understand why I

was financially struggling and assumed the answer was to simply make more money.

So the cycle escalated as I decided to increase my marketing and promotion

efforts even more. When I burned out and grew discontented with no improvement

in my income, I decided there was something intrinsically wrong with me and

embarked on a campaign to fix it. I went to classes, lost weight and joined

personal-growth groups. I was still empty.

So it went . . . my life of pleasing, proving and achieving. What did it

get me? Tired. Broke. Emotionally depleted. And terribly afraid.

Then in 1986, the awakening came. I discovered I had bladder cancer and the

prognosis looked bleak because my symptoms could be traced back for three years.

My doctor had the bedside manner of a blacksmith and was not gently encouraging.

In my first surgery, he removed the largest tumor he had ever taken from a

bladder and announced we would be doing another surgery in 10 to 12 weeks " to

see what was left. " This is a fun guy.

The cancer changed my life forever. I made a decision to live, and that

had a number of implications. I gained immediate clarity about what was

important and began focusing on becoming well. I changed my diet, discovered

herbs, explored holistic healing and learned what it meant to take care of

myself.

Most important, I began asking the question: Who am I and what am I doing

here? Previously, my concern was: What does everyone else want and how can I

make them like me? I shifted from being involved with the changing demands of

the outside world to focusing on what was in my heart. This was not an easy

process, since I had spent my whole life looking outside for answers. I was so

accustomed to ferreting out what other people wanted from me, I had no idea who

I was.

I realized that my life totally lacked passion . . that zest for living,

that sense of joy, creativity and spontaneity that truly comprises life.

Suddenly faced with possible death, I knew I had never really lived. In fact,

there had been no " life " in my life. As a result of this awareness, passion

became my reason for living. I committed myself to it wholly and completely!

No, I had no idea what it meant. I just knew that my daily purpose was to

get up and do something passionate each day. I walked on the beach, discovered

I love rollercoaster rides, took fun classes that wouldn't make me a " better "

person and read books I had wanted to read for years. I made a list of things I

wanted to do before I died (whenever that might be) and as I did them, the list

just grew. Enthusiasm, excitement and fulfillment were ends in themselves. I

wanted to fully experience and live every moment I had left. I could wait no

longer.

I felt more positive and hopeful. It took less energy to produce better

results. I allowed myself to be uncertain about how my future was going to

unfold; I just continued exploring and expressing my passion on a daily basis.

I now know the sheer force of this commitment produced miracles.

By now, my business was shut down, I had no money coming in and no one was

interested in hiring a terminally ill patient. But some of my old clients began

calling and asking if I would do career coaching in my home. Heaven knows,

nothing else was happening, so I said yes, but my consulting took a new turn. I

talked about the cancer and my commitment to living a passionate life; I thought

they might want that, too. Indeed, many wanted to hear more, and I began

conducting groups. By the end of the first year working in my living room, I

discovered I had seen more people and made more money than I had any other year

in my career. After all those years of working and trying so hard, it was that

simple. What a revelation! I knew I had stumbled onto something that could

work for anyone who embraced it.

The other major miracle is that I have been cancer-free since 1987. My

doctor is stunned by my recovery. When I have my annual checkups, he always

comments on how well I have healed. Apparently, there are not even any

remaining indications of the surgery. Is this the result of a commitment to

passion? While I cannot prove it to you, I don't doubt it. I believe passion

is the strongest force in the universe and that it is a magnet for all one's

good—happiness, power, joy, abundance and health. You know how exhilarating it

can be to be around a group of passionate people. It produces a euphoric

energy. Like running, it creates endorphins in the brain. Endorphins boost and

protect the immune system. Cancer is a disease of the immune system, so why

couldn't passion heal it?

For me, the process of dying brought great relevance to living. Today I

bring as much life to living as possible. It has also become my livelihood. I

built an organization called The Career Clinic, which has helped well over a

thousand people heal their relationship with work through discovering their

passions and purpose in life. Passion is not for the lucky or the talented; it

is the fire waiting to be ignited in every soul.

Through cancer, I received the gift of life. Now I get to give it away by

speaking and teaching, and do so with great gratitude and joy.

Reprinted by permission of Lyn © 1995 from Chicken Soup for the

Surviving Soul by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, Patty Aubery,

Autio- and Beverly Kirkhart. In order

please visit 's memory site:

http://www.geocities.com/angelmomfriends4/jason1.html page 1 Welcome; page 2

Birthday; page 3 His last years and death

---------------------------------

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