The Opportunity Game

Sometimes golden moments exist in the midst of trial and tribulation and sometimes they arise in the midst of success and joy. In my experience, the most golden moments are those when life has thrown me lemons and I’ve squeezed all the juice out of them that I can. For me, to share that juice with others, it just doesn’t get any better than that!

Ten and a half years ago I was diagnosed with a very lethal form of cancer. Because ovarian cancer is particularly hard to detect in its early stages most women die of this disease. I was lucky to have experienced several particularly searing pains that allowed the cancer to be treated relatively early in its development.

During my treatment, I decided that there was no point in having a tragedy if I couldn’t make it work for me. To that end, I used this brush with death as a personal growth experience. Then I decided that there was no point in having cancer if I couldn’t help other newly diagnosed people to successfully navigate their treatment decisions and outcomes. Finally, I decided that there was no point in having cancer, if I couldn’t use it to support my coaching business.

In that moment, I had an inspired idea. A golden moment, if you will. I realized that every moment presented a unique opportunity. The moment I was diagnosed with cancer, my attention was on that first syllable of “diagnosis” – die! Actually, the next several days were focused on that scenario. However, another moment soon arose when I saw a different scenario. I would live and live like I had never had lived before. Each moment suddenly mattered. Each moment represented an opportunity to connect, to grow, to savor life in all of its fullness.

Thus I started developing The Opportunity Game. Regardless of whether the moment is filled with adversity or riches, it abounds in opportunity for us all. I realized that my response to cancer was not just a matter of good medicine and luck. I was thriving in a way that I hadn’t before cancer opened me to all the possibilities of life. Through my travails I learned how to nurture my resilience, creativity and community. If I could learn to thrive under life and death circumstances, I could assist others to learn as well. Even better, I realized that one didn’t have to be dying to be fully alive. We just have to remember to step into reality and say yes to the present moment.

For many, cancer is a death sentence. For me it was a golden moment and a birth of a beautiful business opportunity. The path has not always been clear or easy. In the process I lost my hearing, was unable to work for a year while I was deaf and I have had to have two surgeries to restore my hearing via cochlear implants. The Opportunity Game was born in adversity and is nurtured to fullness by my values of connection, personal growth and service to humanity. It is an alchemical process that turns our mettle into gold. Come join me in playing The Opportunity Game!

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