Talk This Way

It was just after the 1996 Olympics when America's No. 1 cyclist, Lance Armstrong, was diagnosed with cancer so advanced that it had already spread to his abdomen, lungs, and brain. Upon returning back to his home in Texas, doctors gave him a less than optimistic chance of survival. In fact, they said that it was the worse case of this kind of cancer that they had ever seen.

“On Wednesday, October 2nd, I was diagnosed with testicular cancer. Prior to seeing my doctor last week, I had been experiencing swelling and pain in one of my testicles and had coughed up some blood. On Thursday, October 3rd, I underwent surgery at St. David’s Hospital here in Austin to have the malignant testicle removed and the surgery was successful. A CT-Scan was also performed the same day. The CT-Scan revealed that my condition has spread into my lungs and abdomen. In terms of degrees of the disease, my condition is considered to be advanced and, thus, yesterday I began my first day of chemotherapy treatment. I will undergo chemotherapy for at least nine weeks and then, depending on how I respond to the treatment, may have to undergo more chemotherapy or other procedures to fight this disease.”

Things did not look good at all. According to the circumstances and based on what was probably certain, Lance’s cycling career was surely done.

But:

“However, I want you all to know that I intend to beat this disease, and further, I intend to ride again as a professional cyclist. I am unable to say today when I will be back in the peloton but hold out hope that I might still participate in the 1997 season.”

Against impossible odds, with a testicle amputated, brain tumors removed, lungs bombarded with chemotherapy and with his mother at his side, Lance Armstrong declared that he would live to ride again! But it did not look like that at the time. According to the circumstances, what it looked like was, “Maybe he’ll get better but he’ll never be the same.”

Lance not only went on to beat cancer and win the Tour de France (described as the most difficult sporting event in the world) but, he won that race an unprecedented seven times in a row.

Having to fight beyond the cancer, having to look death in the face, and having to rebuild his body all required a willingness to say that it would be so. He had to declare that he would be victorious and then practice the mental discipline to live his life like victory was a foregone conclusion. He developed a willingness to push himself beyond his old limits and deal courageously with doubt and fear. As a result, the circumstances had to line up with what Lance had been willing to say.

His triumphant return to the Tour in 1999 was a shock to some people, and it was inspiring to many. Many people doubted that he would ever survive, let alone win the world’s most grueling sports event six times.

Imagine.

If you ever expect to have what it is that you really want, at some point you are going to have to be bold enough to say that you have it even if it looks like you don’t!

Thomas Jefferson said it boldly.