“Life isn’t measured by the amount of time you’re here, it’s measured by your achievements”, words by Stephen Sutton, before his early death from bowel cancer.
Now, you can look at this in many ways; you could compare yourself to Stephen's great achievements which, by any standards, were amazing. You could feel daunted or, like we did, ponder on it and think that this is actually a great maxim for life in general. Achievements don't have to be big or considered too small but really about getting through life with a sense of regular satisfaction at what you have achieved. Now, for some people that may indeed be great physical feats but for others it may be just getting through the day and feeling ok. Life, after all, is not a rehearsal.
Thinking about these wise words, it made us think, actually, it is so easy to forget how joyous those simple things in life can be and our sense of achievement in seeing them, feeling them, having them and so on. Of course, it depends on you as an individual; we thought about our simple things and listed them. For each of us, as we expected, it was different, but things that we can so easily take for granted, whether we are fit or not, can mean so much.
We will not forget Stephen and, indeed, thank him for making us stop and appreciate the good things in life, however hard it may seem. Sometimes it is good to stop and sniff the roses when we are endlessly rushing along the treadmill of life. Sadly, a new diagnosis is often the first time we do this.
So, whether you are going through treatment, are newly diagnosed or indeed have come out the other end; take some time to stop and enjoy the little things in life and your achievements - they are so vital to our wellbeing and so easily lost in the rush and tumble of every day.
