Our power to survive is tremendous; if only we can find a way to tap into this invigorating source of energy and use it in our lives. Instead the survival faculty lies dormant and rarely is it awakened.

Those of us in Western societies are mostly city dwellers living in man made environments that seem generally safe and protected. We appoint the authorities to protect us, and forget how to protect ourselves. We fall into a deep sleep, a semi-hypnotic state induced by the constant bombardment of messages from television, radio, newspapers and the internet. From tribal hunter-gatherers we have turned into unconscious herds of consumers. We obey and we listen.

We forget that we can rely on ourselves; we have the power and the knowledge and are capable of survival against all odds.

That ancient force still resides inside of us and it is a massive source of energy, if we could only find a way to tap into it and use it - how good would that be?

Remote from our nature as we are, we doubt that force exists at all; we’ve been taught to undermine ourselves, to perceive ourselves as insubstantial and incapable.

We are so used to this conditioning that we live in accordance to this limited perception of ourselves. However we do wake up during times where there are no other choices available.

I’m sure you’ve also heard or even personally witnessed such transformation and realization. It seems a miracle when people suddenly manifest strength nobody would ever have imagined they possessed; often not even they themselves can believe it.

Unfortunately these circumstances almost always involve some calamity or another. The hero/heroine inside each of us is discovered during circumstances such as war, plague, famine or other natural disasters such as flood, fire and earthquakes. The hero awakens when life is at stake.

We’ve all heard stories of people enduring harrowing experiences and surviving against all odds. However, in a more mundane and less dramatic context we encounter such heroes in hospitals.

Unfortunately, it is far more common to encounter these phenomena when a family member or friend is diagnosed with cancer or some other terminal disease. My good friend’s sister died a few years ago. She was in her forties, a gray character with an inconsequential air about her. She lived in the suburbs and was married to a fairly ordinary man, a small time merchant of some sort and together they raised two children. She was what some may refer to as a regular mum. She had a few friends, and her family loved her of course. When she was diagnosed with cancer everything about her changed. It was a bowel cancer and she went through much associated pain, agony and misery. Yet she was willing to fight and she became more centered than she’d ever been in her life. She was a shining source of inspiration to her doctors and nurses, her children and other family members. Her beautiful memory will ever stay with those who met her in her last few months.

The point is that you have probably personally met people going through this transformation or at least heard of them from a close source. What am I trying to say? I am trying to tell you that we all have this power inside. When death is closing in, we know how to tap into these inner powers and fight. Many times we win too. Now this story is not in order to scare you, however for the sake of this exercise, please take this moment to think these inconceivable thoughts.

Imagine you are going to see your doctor after a series of medical examinations. You know your doctor well and with a grave face he tells you that you have lung cancer. He says there may be a good chance for you to live longer, but you’ll need to take immediate measures, such as radiology, chemotherapy, change of diet, etc. He doesn’t even have to mention your smoking. You would probably quit right then and not desire another cigarette for the rest of your life. The immediate pleasure of smoking is nothing when compared with the pleasure of staying alive.

Surely you can succeed - 11 million people just like you alone in the UK have done it. 50 million did it in the USA.

Of course it is possible.

You can do it! For sure!