Procrastinating After Cancer Can Be A Good Thing

Are you guilty of procrastinating? Me, too. Is a life-changing trauma holding you back from outwitting life? It can, but only if you let it. Procrastinating after cancer can be a good thing.

I have been struggling with the fear of reinventing myself, and I have only recently allowed myself to face this fear. Denial is so much easier.

Fear has caused me to procrastinate writing my blog.

Fear is causing me to hesitate to put pen to paper. What if someone only reads half of my blog because they don’t like it? It has taken me a long time and many therapy sessions and self-help books to realize that I fear that I cannot be all things to all people.

Procrastinating Can Help You Find Your Tribe

Who is? Why would I think that’s even possible? Talk about having a big ego. Of course, I can’t be everything to everybody. Nobody can!

But, if I identify my target audience, I can write for(to) them and provide ideas and concrete steps they can take on their reinvention journey. I have plenty of experiences to share.

I have taken enough blogging classes and listened to countless videos instructing me to find my tribe and blog specifically for them. It’s called “Niching Down” in the blogging world. It is not an easy task.

It sounds simple enough, except who is my tribe? Are they cancer survivors or former sales executives? Are you a member of any tribes? I hope you will be part of mine!

I started blogging when my life turned upside down due to breast cancer. It was an excellent outlet for me. It gave me something tangible I could work at, and I love to write. Unfortunately, I was all over the place.

I now understand that my blog behaved just like my life and was everywhere. Everything from our finances to our home changed overnight. It was so much stress to take on at once.

One day I was writing about meal planning to save money, and the next day I was doing a DIY decor project. I have enjoyed blogging on DIY projects, couponing, and grocery hacks. They are fun things, but not really a common thread.

Finding a blogging world that can teach us anything (if we put in the right search words) has been excellent. My research has opened my eyes to so many possibilities. The internet is fantastic, and I want to be part of it.

There’s No Need to Rush Into Anything

This has been quite an adventure! I have been doing a lot of reflection over the past few months and have recently realized that fighting through chemo, radiation, Sepsis, a kidney stone, depression, and job loss was the easy part. Crazy, right?

The hard part is finding my purpose after my illness. My job was my identity (not a good thing). Without my job, who am I? My job made me feel important. Without it, do I even matter?

But I am currently cancer-free. Shouldn’t I be feeling grateful to be alive?

Technically, yes, but emotionally, not so much. I did try to work again, but my heart wasn’t in it, and my body wasn’t healed, so it didn’t work out.

I have been trying to get on solid footing ever since. Intellectually, it makes sense that I can grow a blog since I am not afraid of hard work or long hours, but I haven’t truly put in the effort yet.

I have allowed my fear to hold me back. It’s pretty easy to do. Are you nodding your head right now? Why is it that we stand in our way sometimes?

For starters, I have decided I cannot set goals that include world peace or time travel. I have to be realistic. I need to do some planning and focus on my tribe.

My tribe is anyone who has had a life-altering event and wants to positively carve out a new, better life for themself.

I am unsure why it has taken me this long to identify this. It must be part of my overall journey of reinvention. I feel like a huge weight is off of my shoulders. God has finally answered my prayers!

I Never Realized Procrastinating Was My Solution

Trauma doesn’t have an age, and reinvention can occur during any stage of your life. I was 56 when first diagnosed with breast cancer, and that number doesn’t mean a thing. I had a life-changing illness that could strike someone in their thirties or even twenties.

Wisdom comes from experience as much as age. Hopefully, sharing my experiences will help my tribe navigate their reinvention journey just a smidge.

It may have taken me some time to get to this place where I finally feel comfortable. I think my procrastination after cancer wound up being a good thing. All good things in life take time.

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