I thought that once my disease was under control, once I found a drug that was working I’d relax and get back to enjoying life.
So why am I so anxious all the time? I think, in part, it’s because now that I realize I’ll be living longer, I need to find a way to finance my existence.
Anyone who’s been through cancer treatment can tell you, it takes a lot out of you. Between the drugs and the doctors appointments and continual tests and scans, not only is it expensive, but it’s time consuming. So I’m looking for a way to make money that doesn’t take so much time or startup money.
A Facebook ad about a course teaching how to sell on Amazon caught my eye. My husband and I both went to the free workshop, then the paid training. Today, I mailed off my first four sales.
I can’t say we’re raking in the money yet. But I’ve talked to enough people who have that I’m starting to see a light at the end of the tunnel.
I admit, I’ve still got a lot to learn. As one of my mentors – Patrica Jones, whose story I’ll tell tomorrow – shared, it’s not unreasonable to start out losing money before you make it.
“Don’t worry about the money,” she told me. “Worry about who you’re going to serve and how it will benefit them.”
And know your “why?” she said. Hers is freedom and serving. Mine is being able to relax knowing I can pay off whatever debt this illness throws my way. It’s also about sharing my story with others in hopes that there’s some universal lesson that can save them the suffering and agony that I’ve been through. (What is it the Buddhists say? Pain is mandatory, suffering optional). Well I’ve had enough of both for a lifetime.
What will I do with my newfound wealth? My husband wants to take a blues cruise down the Mississippi River. I want to cruise the Danube River. I’ve got pictures from the cruise brochure pinned up in a shadowbox across from my bed, along with million dollar bills (fake, of course) to remind me each morning when I wake up where I’m heading, what this journey is all about.
I’m looking forward to the blog post I’ll be writing in the future, a postcard from Budapest perhaps with a note to all of you saying “Having a great time floating along the Blue Danube (which surprisingly isn’t blue). Wish you were here.”
