said it ’ s all part of the process – just my subconscience coming to terms with everything . Interestingly , once I decided not to remove the tumour , the anxiety and panic attacks stopped happening .
Will next year come ? Will tomorrow ? Who knows ?
These days , my fears include knowing who truly values my knowledge , and being able to decipher them from those that just nod their head or tell me what I want to hear so I ’ ll open my cheque book to them . Of course , these are common fears that many people feel , but it can be amplified even more when you are faced with your own mortality . I also fear whether I will be like my grandparents who died too young and never got to see their grandkids . I also worry about being able to share all I have to share before my time is up . Fear is powerful but the secret is to ensure it doesn ’ t rule your decisions or your life .
Whatever happens , I will forge forward with my agenda . I could die at 60 , I could die at 90 , I could die next week – we all could .
I ’ m not on a publicity stunt . I ’ m not about gathering attention . There ’ s nothing awesome about a brain tumour , and there ’ s nothing awesome about rejection or violence . There ’ s nothing great about your mum and dad not wanting you , but beyond all of that , there is awesomeness . Awesomeness in what I can teach and inspire others to do based on all those unfortunate experiences I ’ ve had .
I want to inspire others , not only with the story of my life and survival , but also by sharing my journey and success as a business owner . I want to reassure people that it is possible to crawl out of a black hole and into the light ; to show people that you can transform your life from surviving to thriving .
you ’ ll always know exactly where you stand with me . They ’ ll also tell you that I ’ m not very good at accepting compliments ; maybe that ’ s a scar from the early days , who knows , but I used to think that compliments always came with a hidden agenda .
I like to think of myself like wine – I get better with age ! I don ’ t do hugs very well so if you get a hug from me then you must be special . Of course , none of these things define what I feel in my heart ; they ’ re all just habits , like I mentioned earlier with the lack of smiling thing !
What keeps me going is simple : why wouldn ’ t I ?
I will go wherever I can to share , teach and inspire . And even though I ’ m almost 52 years of age now , I feel like my journey is only just beginning .
As a good friend said I have itchy feet , I have much more to offer I have much more to learn … I have life !
There are no refunds or exchanges when we leave this world – the stage you create and perform on is your show and your show alone .
So what will your audience say ?
Everything I know and have done is self taught – I don ’ t care about the full stops , the commas or anything else . What you see and read is real , and anyone who knows me will tell you ,
FROM SURVIVING TO THRIVING : THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF MEL TEMPEST 11