Roger Lumpp faced a Stage 4 Hodgkin's Lymphoma
diagnosis in April 2010. Facing eight months of chemotherapy treatment he
decided he was going to use his cancer journey to learn how to increase
fulfilment in his life so that others could gain from his experience. Lift
Living is the vehicle that chronicles his journey back from fighting cancer and
mission to Lift as many lives as possible. Here’s a recent article he wrote
explaining his philosophy of life:
“I think we've all had a moment in our life where one of our friends
asked us how we were doing and we uttered these magical words:
"Just living the dream."
“Not sure where exactly the idea of "living the dream"
originated, but I suspect it has to do with practicing the concept of the
American Dream to which we are all supposed to aspire. In the spectrum of dream
concepts, there is one that stands above the rest and it was delivered by
someone who continues to inspire us today.
“In August of 1963, Martin Luther King, Jr. was the keynote speaker at
the March on Washington. Standing on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial
in front of more than 250,000 supporters, Dr. King spoke of the racial
inequalities in the Union and his dream of a United States where all men and
women are truly created equal and we are no longer "judged by the color of
our skin, but the content of our character." Martin Luther King, Jr. was a
student of Gandhi's non-violent approach to protest and used it to engage the
nation in addressing civil rights. Whatever it took to advance equality, he was
willing to address it through non-violent means. This inspired men and women of
all colors and ages to do the same and resulted in major advancements in the
civil rights movement.
“The great part about effective dreams is that they pull you forward in
such a way that you can reconcile your current actions directly to their
completion. While Dr. King's dreams were grand in nature, he could ask himself
if his every action was working towards realizing them. That was the great part
about Dr. King...
“Not only did he lead with his vision, he led with
the integrity of a consistent character.
“Since I was diagnosed with cancer, I am way more reflective about life.
And on a recent flight while I was looking out on the clouds I thought a lot
about what my dream was and if I could deliver it in a speech in front of a
quarter million people...
“And would it inspire?
“Over the course of my treatment and into remission I worked hard on
understanding my values, goals, and beliefs. I realized that in my pre-cancer
days my actions were not fully in line with my own dreams, but more towards a
composite of dreams made up from societal expectations for my age, gender, employment
status, etc.
“Not very inspiring...
“The composite dream is pushed on us from a young age by teachers,
employers, media, government, etc. because the concept of the individual is not
convenient to administering mass educational programs, employment best
practices, or what the average household should look like. The key to finding
your own dream is to ignore the pressures to fall in line with what's deemed
acceptable by the masses. By doing this you will free up the energy and
capacity to understand where you operate at your best. Only then will you be
able to paint a picture of a future that you want to spend the rest of your
days pursuing.
“In everything you do...
“While we may live in a society that is closer than ever to all men and
women being created equal, our dreams should always remain unique. While they
may overlap in content, dreams are tools to pull us forward (as individuals)
towards maximum fulfilment in our lives.
“When you find your dream and start living it in everything you do it
will be apparent to everyone you encounter. Just as it was to those 250,000
people in Washington DC who crossed paths with Martin Luther King, Jr. on
August 28, 1963”
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