Article by Wendy McCance

How is it possible to have the very worst year of my life and the very best year all tied together?  2015 was the most intense and amazing year I have probably ever experienced.  Why?  Because I had my most devastating and incredible experiences back to back.  It made for a most amazing year.

I began 2015 in an uncertain state.  I had been going through several months of health issues that continued into 2015.  In fact, I felt so ill that I cut back on work.  It was awful.  The previous summer it looked like I was on the verge of fulfilling some of my work goals and in an instant, everything ground to a halt.  I was too tired, too sore and I knew that whatever was going on was different from anything I had experienced in the past.  I finally made an appointment with my doctor in February and that’s when my world turned upside-down.

I was diagnosed with cancer.  I was in shock.  I spent the next few months in every emotional state imaginable and my freelance career barely survived.

The entire family went through the shock of my diagnosis and all of us rode the wave of instability as we tried to deal with what was in front of us.

Slowly, every one of us emerged from the fog of a life that had just flipped upside-down becoming a different story altogether.  The way each of us handled such awful news was nothing short of intriguing to watch.  Who knew that such a shakeup could literally cause such a dramatic change in each one of us, and for the better!

My oldest daughter who is just navigating the adult world after graduating high school decided she was sick of fear holding her back and she made remarkable leaps in her life.  She got a job she loves, began taking dance classes on a full-time schedule in her pursuit to be a professional dancer and she bought a car.  She took the steps needed to get onto the path that would lead her to her destination.

My other daughter who was struggling with her health and because of it, her schoolwork suffered greatly made the move to homeschooling.  She went from nearly failing each class to straight A’s.  She was never fond of a traditional school atmosphere and her health issues magnified her feelings. She has thrived in this new school setup.  I am thrilled to see what she is accomplishing.  She is more motivated now and likes being in control of her school schedule.  She still has a good social life and is much more confident about her abilities to do well in school.  Now she has a goal of completing high school early by taking extra classes each semester.  It is a perfect fit.

My son just started high school and loves it.  He wants to experience everything high school has to offer and has joined a few teams and extra school activities.  He is getting straight A’s and has a busy social life.

My husband left a job he hated and went back to a job he loved.  Along the way he got a promotion and placed into the job title he had been dreaming of.

I got tired of living my life based on “what if’s.”  It had become a mantra and created so much fear that I was left paralyzed from moving forward.  While going through the “what if” stage, I noticed the same fear was rubbing off on the family.  Everyone had been placed in a state of non-movement.  The moment I broke free from the fear and realized I still had a life in front of me to live, I broke the curse for the family.  It was then that everyone got moving.  We all started paying attention to what was important to us as individuals and we all had some incredible success because of it.

2015 ended very well for me.  I had intentionally taken a few months off to just enjoy the family and be a stay at home mom (something I had always wanted to do).  Although I was determined to stop prospecting for work until the end of 2015 and focus on family only, some opportunities came up that made me rethink what I would like to do with my time.

I ended up jumping back into freelance writing and social media management full-time again and completed my financial goal.  Somehow, I came back strong enough to have some exciting successes since returning to work full-time.  I can’t wait to see what 2016 has to offer as I have a few more career goals I’m sure I will accomplish this year.

There are five people in our family.  Each one of us has started 2016 in the very best place for our personal circumstances.  I don’t think I have ever experienced a situation where every one of us was in such positive sync all at the same time.  We are all happy, fulfilled and excited about what lies ahead for ourselves.  It is truly the most magical thing I have ever experienced and I am beyond grateful.

Maybe it takes tremendous tragedy to shake us up properly.  Maybe it’s that tragedy that gives us the determination to alter the path we seemed destined to be on.  A year ago we were struggling financially.  Health was a major topic in our home.  We hoped the kids would find the self-motivation they needed.  My husband and I both needed to get back on track with our careers.

Today, we are all standing tall.  Full of wisdom and ambition we are going to have the best year of our lives!

• About
• Latest Posts

Wendy McCance

Wendy McCance is a Michigan based freelance writer and social media consultant. Wendy has gained attention as the founder of the popular blog Searching for the Happiness which can be viewed in 9 local papers online, including the Oakland Press. The combination of writing skills and social media knowledge is what makes Wendy such a powerhouse to work with. Stay tuned for opportunities to advertise, guest post and as always, have your questions answered.

To contact Wendy McCance about a writing or social media assignment, interview or speaking engagement, please email her at: [email protected]

Latest posts by Wendy McCance (see all)

• The Elusiveness Of Money - September 9, 2016
• The Challenges of Being an Older Woman - September 9, 2016
• When All the Pieces Fall Into Place - September 2, 2016