Catch up with Coach M - Edition 63 - Choosing Perspective

There are moments in life that divide our story into two chapters: before and after. Sometimes those moments arrive with a diagnosis. Sometimes they come through grief, heartbreak, chronic illness, injury or unexpected change. They aren't moments we ask for, but they often become the moments that shape us the most.

While we can't always choose what happens to us, we can choose how we respond. Choosing perspective makes life worth the choice.

This isn't a story about pretending life is easy or believing that positivity fixes everything. It's about discovering that even in life's hardest seasons, perspective, gratitude and small daily choices have the power to change how we live. This is the journey that taught me that resilience isn't about never falling apart—it's about choosing, over and over again, to keep moving forward.

I don't think any of us wake up one day and suddenly become positive people.

Life teaches us.

Pain teaches us.

Disappointment teaches us.

And if we're willing to listen, those difficult seasons often teach us more than the easy ones ever could.

One of the greatest gifts we've been given is choice.

No, we don't get to choose every circumstance.

We don't get to choose illness, injury, heartbreak or disappointment.

But most of the time we do get to choose how we respond.

I've often heard it said that only a very small percentage of our reactions are completely involuntary. The rest are choices we make, whether consciously or unconsciously.

That doesn't mean life becomes easier.

It simply means we have more control than we sometimes believe.

People have asked me for years how I keep moving.

"How do you stay so positive?"

"How have your setbacks not broken you?"

The truth is...

They have broken me.

There have been days where I've cried.

Days where I questioned everything.

Days where I simply wanted the pain to stop.

Being resilient doesn't mean you don't struggle.

Being resilient means you decide that your struggle won't have the final say.

The answer has never been that I'm stronger than anyone else.

The answer is much simpler.

Every day—sometimes every hour—I choose.

I choose to look for something good.

Not because the bad isn't there.

Because the good deserves my attention too.

Some Days the Good Was Very Small

If I'm completely honest, there have been seasons since 2017 where the bad outweighed the good by a huge margin.

There were days where pain dominated everything.

Days where medication side effects made me wonder if I would ever feel normal again.

Days where the exhaustion wasn't because I'd trained hard—it was because my body had spent every ounce of energy simply trying to function.

Some days there was only one positive.

I made it through another day.

I was still breathing.

That was enough.

There were nights where I woke up countless times because of my altered digestive system.

The only good thing I could find was that my bed was warm.

And strangely enough...

That became enough too.

Every morning I woke up, I realised I had another opportunity.

Another chance.

Another sunrise.

Another day to live.

Some people call that positive thinking.

I don't.

I call it perspective.

Perspective isn't pretending things are good.

Perspective is recognising that even on the hardest day, there is usually something worth being grateful for.

The Power of Two Words

Over time I noticed something.

The words I used shaped the way I thought.

"I have to exercise."

"I have to eat well."

"I have to go to work."

"I have to train."

Those words felt heavy.

They made everything sound like an obligation.

Then I started changing one simple phrase.

"I get to."

"I get to move."

"I get to work."

"I get to train."

"I get to nourish my body."

The task didn't change.

The words did.

And suddenly everything felt different.

Movement became a privilege instead of punishment.

Healthy eating became self-respect instead of restriction.

Training became an opportunity instead of another task on my to-do list.

It's amazing what two small words can do.

Living Inside a Body That Doesn't Always Behave

Living with chronic illness changes your relationship with your body.

Your body stops being something you take for granted.

Instead, it becomes something you learn to work with every single day.

People often see the parts of my life that happen outdoors.

The running.

The coaching.

The adventures.

What they don't see are the invisible battles.

Inflammatory bowel disease isn't just about stomach problems.

It affects your energy.

Your sleep.

Your emotions.

Your confidence.

Your social life.

Your ability to plan.

Your ability to trust your own body.

Unless you've lived with it—or loved someone who has—it's difficult to explain what that uncertainty feels like.

But here's what I learned.

My body isn't my enemy.

It's doing the very best it can.

So instead of fighting against it...

I've learned to support it.

To nourish it.

To recover properly.

To respect its limits.

And to thank it for what it can still do instead of constantly criticising what it can't.

That single shift changes everything.

Success Looks Different Now

There was a time when success meant running faster.

Lifting heavier.

Doing more.

Now, success often looks very different.

Some days success is taking a walk.

Some days it's completing one strength session.

Some days it's remembering to eat enough.

Some days it's choosing to rest because that's exactly what my body needs.

I've stopped comparing today's body with yesterday's body.

Every season asks something different of us.

The body that carried me through marathons isn't the same body that walked through cancer treatment.

The body that managed years of IBD isn't the same body navigating hormonal change.

And that's okay.

My worth has never been measured by my pace, my weight or my performance.

It's measured by how faithfully I continue showing up.

Cancer Changed the Conversation Again

When I was diagnosed with cancer, my first reaction wasn't inspiration.

It wasn't courage.

It wasn't positivity.

It was fear

Confusion.

Anger.

Sadness.

Because that's what being human looks like.

But after those emotions settled, I found myself returning to the same lesson life had already been teaching me for years.

What now?

I could spend every day focusing on everything cancer had taken.

Or I could choose to focus on what I still had.

I still had today.

I still had movement.

I still had purpose.

I still had people I loved.

Most importantly...

I still had a choice.

Not a choice about cancer.

A choice about how I would live with it.

That choice became one of the greatest gifts of the entire journey.

I don't move because I'm trying to prove something.

I move because movement reminds me that I'm alive.

Every single day that I get to move is a day I'll never take for granted.

Remission Isn't the Finish Line

Today, I'm incredibly grateful to say that both my cancer and my inflammatory bowel disease are in remission.

People often hear the word remission and assume that means life simply returns to normal.

That everything goes back to the way it was before.

The reality is very different.

Remission isn't permission to return to the habits that may have contributed to poor health, excessive stress or neglecting my body's needs.

It's a responsibility.

A reminder that my health requires ongoing care.

I still need to prioritise sleep.

I still need to fuel my body well.

I still need to manage stress.

I still need to exercise, recover and listen when my body whispers instead of waiting until it screams.

These aren't temporary changes anymore.

They're the foundation that allows me to continue living the life I want to live.

I've realised that health isn't something we achieve and then forget about.

It's something we choose every single day.

Not from fear.

But from gratitude.

Because after everything my body has carried me through, the least I can do is continue looking after it.

Keep Choosing

If there's one lesson life has taught me, it's this: we don't need perfect circumstances to live a meaningful life.

We simply need to keep choosing the next right step.

Some days that step is a run.

Some days it's a walk around the block.

Some days it's resting.

Some days it's nourishing your body.

Some days it's simply getting out of bed.

Every one of those choices matters.

We all carry battles that other people can't see.

We all have moments where life feels heavier than we'd like.

But every sunrise offers another opportunity to begin again.

Every breath reminds us we're still here.

Every step reminds us we're still living.

Don't wait until life is perfect before you choose gratitude.

Choose it today.

Don't wait until your body forces you to make changes before you begin looking after it.

Your future health is built by the choices you make today.

Life isn't measured by how few challenges we face.

It's measured by how we choose to live despite them.

As long as I have the opportunity to move, to love, to coach, to help others and to witness another sunrise, I'll keep choosing life.

And every day that I get to do that is a gift I'll never take for granted.