near death and this is what I learned

Hey!

The past six months have marked probably the most challenging time in my life, yet have shown me just how strong I can really be. It has forever taught me three very important life and business lessons that I thought that I would share with you.

Last September, COVID rocked my world, including a 3-month hospital stay, ventilator, and the little thing of learning to walk and talk again.

The Backstory…

Let me just state for the record that I was not the person that you would have pegged to get sick. In fact, I can’t remember the last time that I was sick or went to a doctor before this. I’m still young-ish… 41 and full of life. And I’m a huge believer in natural medicine and have studied herbalism for years.

Yet, on Labor Day 2021 after having (and getting better) from COVID… I wasn’t getting oxygen. Thankfully my husband noticed the signs, dressed me, carried me to the car, and took me to the ER. When we arrived, I measured at just 35% oxygen and was immediately put on a ventilator and medically sedated.

I woke up the week of Halloween… two months gone. I won’t bore you with all of the details, but let’s just say I’m glad that I slept through it. I would spend yet another month in the hospital getting to the point that I could go home.

3 Things That I’ve Learned…

1. Don’t worry, be happy. I’ve been a worrier all of my life, and I would still classify myself in that category. I’ve worried about projects, new products, approaching deadlines, budgets… you name it. Yet the biggest thing that I’ve ever dealt with, and I didn’t see it coming. Yet my body healed anyway!

I’m a person of faith, and I’ve watched how God has protected and guided me and my husband along this journey. From medical insurance coverage to client project wrap-ups, infections to miracle cures, we’ve been a witness to some pretty amazing things.

2. Be a fighter. As anyone who has ever worked with me or has gone up against me knows… I’m a competitor. I can’t help it; I want to win… always. I want every product that I launch to be successful, every campaign that I launch to be smart and winning, and I ALWAYS want to beat the average.

I honestly thought this competitive spirit was always conscious and part of my personality. But it’s something deeper than that. I had several hospital nurses and doctors tell me that they were so glad to see me doing so well because… well, honestly, they didn’t expect me to make it. That a “normal” person that went through what I did shouldn’t have made it. The same drive that has made me never give up in business also never allowed me to stop fighting when my life was on the line.

3. Be a glass half-full person. Optimism has always been one of my core strengths. It is my natural inclination to look for a silver lining even when things look somewhat grim. This has generally served me very well in business—even when things appear not so great, my optimism usually holds me over till a window opens. I’ve seen a lot of project teams get discouraged and quit too early before a breakthrough happens.

Being sick, really sick can break you. I saw too many broken people in the hospital. Too many people willing to get drugged, not willing to do physical therapy, and generally wanting to just give up. I choose to be optimistic. How about you?

Now that my body has almost completely healed, my mind is back on my client projects, and spring is right around the corner, I never want to forget and give thanks for the journey that I’ve traveled.

Never forget that the biggest challenges show both you and the world what you are made of.

I hope this email has served as an inspiration for you this week. Next week we will get back on track. I will have a super helpful brand audit tool for you to use with your business.

Loving life,

Nadine Williams

&Beyond Innovation and Marketing, LLC.