How often does life throw us curve-balls at the most unexpected times in our lives? It is how we rise up to those challenges that define who we are and the path our life will take.
For Canadian pancreatic cancer survivor and Ironman competitor Sindy Hooper, overcoming fear and living in the present moment allowed her to accomplish the impossible, facing adversity head-on and achieving her goals. For Sindy Hooper, this meant putting everything she had into defying odds and rising up to become her own Ironman.
Sindy Hooper reveals the power of overcoming fear when faced with adversity in her conversation with John R. Miles on the Passion Struckโข podcast.
Replace Looking into the Future With Remaining Focused in the Now
When it comes to accomplishing goals, whether it be in our personal lives or in our careers, itโs easy to become overwhelmed with the challenges we face as a whole. This can often offset people from their course of achieving their dreams as they become blinded by the fear of being unable to overcome what is standing in their way of being triumphant.
Sindy Hooper reflects on how she was able to mindfully overcome her chemotherapy treatments and train for the Ironman triathlon in Whistler, Canada while battling cancer:
โThe first time I trained for an Iron man, I had a hard time thinking about the Iron Man as a whole. I couldnโt think of it โit just seemed way too overwhelming. So I only ever thought about the swim, or the bike, or the run โI only thought of it in portions. And so, with going through cancer treatments, it was the same thing.“
For Sindy, overcoming the fear of dying by focusing on competing in the Iron Man triathlon months after Whipple surgery and throughout her chemotherapy treatments allowed her to remain focused on the now โfinishing that run, swimming that extra mile, staying healthy for her friends and family with improbability looming overhead.
If I tried to look too far into the future or think about what I was doing, even two months away, the fear was just too much, so I had to stay very much present. I think trying to stay present and trying to break down your challenges into smaller pieces to accomplish one piece at a time โthat would be my biggest recommendation for people.โ
Rise Up By Putting 100% Into Everything, You Do
Not everyone is born with a winnerโs mindset; however, it is possible to embrace success throughout our journey in life by putting in 100% effort and determination into everything we encounter. For Sindy, this means staying focused on the goals you wish to succeed in and working hard despite how hard the future ahead will be.
Sindy reveals that to be a real passion-struck individual throughout your lifetime, you must believe that:
โYou must make every moment count. Set big goals, big dreams, work hard, and believe that anything is possible. Stay positive and hanging onto the hope that everythingโs going to be okay.โ
For Sindy, setting goals rather than accepting her course of action allowed her to deal with the fear of uncertainty and adopt a hopeful outlook for the future. By breaking down her goals into actionable steps, she achieved goals that she once thought were impossible.
Once youโve achieved your goal, extend it further and keep pushing yourself until you reach your final destination of greatness โregardless of the odds that lay ahead of you, you can rise up.
To listen to the full podcast episode to learn more about overcoming fear when faced with adversity in life, make sure to check out the Passion Struck Podcast on iTunes, Spotify, or wherever you listen to your podcasts.