Courage

This past Sunday, I ran an 18K with a wonderful group of friends. It was the annual Terry Fox Marathon of Hope. Terry Fox was a very young Canadian hero who lived an extraordinary life of courage and dedication. At the young age of 19, he discovered he had a malignant tumour in his leg and consequently had to have the leg amputated. Only a year later, he embarked on a journey of hope as he ran across Canada on his artificial leg to raise $1 million for cancer research. Many people doubted achieving this goal was possible. Terry completed it, and to date, the Terry Fox Foundation has raised over $715 million for cancer research.  He showed the world what someone can accomplish when they decide to live out their life from a place of courage rather than fear.

Courage

In his journey with cancer and in his dedication to raising funds for cancer research, Terry always chose courage over fear. He had the inner strength to carry on; he never let fear stand in his way of daring to dream and finding hope in his darkest moments.

Fear

Fear as a motivator rips apart your dreams and steals your inner joy, peace, and hope. It can benefit if it saves your life in a crisis, but I am not discussing this healthy fear. I am talking about a fear that grips you and feeds negative thoughts into your mind, such as that you are not good enough, incapable enough, or someone else is better or more talented than you.

These inner lies are self-limiting fears and can hold you back from reaching your highest potential.

Passion

Terry showed the world that even though the disease had taken his leg, it did not destroy his passion and courage. His courageous spirit inspired the world. Today, I am sharing a video with you on his life and legacy. As you watch, consider whether or not there are areas of your life—professional or personal—in which you lack courage and passion.

Courage is not inherited; it takes daily practice to obtain it. Sometimes, it's hard to find courage. There will be moments of doubt, but we all can replace fear with love—a love that says, “I am worth it. My work and ambitions are meaningful. I have talents and life to offer those around me. I will passionately go after my goals. I will show grace when I am under fire. I will never let fear stand in my way of success.”

Success

My definition of success has never been measured solely by a paycheck. My definition of success is having the courage to live my life from an authentic place, to choose integrity over greed, and to go after my goals passionately.

May the legacy and spirit of Terry Fox ignite a spark within you to live your life to its fullest potential, to let nothing stand in your way of becoming all you are meant to be, and may you be lifted to a higher level