Simple Minds Podcast

Episode 34

Finding Happiness with a Cancer Diagnosis (with Japanese Whiskey)

  • Share

Finding Happiness with a Diagnosis (with Japanese Whiskey)

Host: Justin Bourn

Drink: Japanese Whiskey

Guest: Natasha Rijavec

No one ever says they have cancer and they’re happy.

In this week's episode, we’re joined by Natasha Rijavec who shares with us her self-discovery journey after being diagnosed with stage four cancer. Find out how she achieves focus and found happiness with her diagnosis.

This round is on Justin Bourn with the support of Matt Hanham, Travis Hayto, Michael Duncan, Marco Noe, and Conrad “Swaggy C” Francis. The Simple Minds Podcast unravels topics such as personal development, philosophy, life and business - one drink at a time.

Episode Topics:

  • Who is Natasha Rijavec [0:00]
  • How to be more focused [20:00]
  • Gratitude [48:00]  

Listen on: Apple Podcast | Spotify | YouTube | SoundCloud

Who is Natasha Rijavec?  [0:00]

Two years is more than enough time for someone's life to change.

Two years ago Natasha was working as a flight attendant at Qantas. But, she always felt like she was meant to do more. She met her partner later in life and they always dreamed of moving down south, starting a family with Natasha becoming a Kundalini yoga teacher.
She had this great plan. It was all mapped out. Whilst trying to get pregnant through IVF she discovered she had stage four cancer. Four months ago Tash was diagnosed, and now her entire life, mindset and purpose have changed.

“No one ever says they have cancer and they’re happy” - Tash [21:00]  

When you’re faced with mortality you’re focused on one thing: Survival.

Everything else becomes irrelevant. The noise disappears and you realise what your purpose is. What you want your life to look like. What you want to spend every day doing, and what noise you want to cut out.

How to be More Focused [20:00]

A fatal diagnosis gives you incredible clarity. With clarity, you don’t want to waste energy on something that doesn’t serve you.

But for people searching for that clarity, how can we achieve it and how do we maintain it?

Tash didn’t accept her diagnosis overnight. It was a process and something she had to work hard to accept before she could take action. But her conclusion to achieving focus was to become more self-aware of what you’re consuming in your life.

Consider this:

  • Music
  • News
  • Television
  • Films
  • Social media
  • People you’re around
  • Conversations you’re having

What you choose to consume affects your mood and sense of purpose. When you cut out negativity the noise in your life decreases and you’re able to listen to your inner voice more and more. In Tash’s experience, this process brought her back to where she wanted to be.

The more honesty you inject into your life, the more honesty you’ll crave from yourself and others. The foundation of Tash has set is spiritual. Before you can take any external action in your life, you need to be able to speak to yourself with love and respect.

“Technology has taken over, we’ve lost our inner technology. What about our inner-net?” - Tash [45:00]

Tash uses the Five Sutras of the Aquarian Age to aid her thought process.

The Five Sutras of the Aquarian Age

  • Recognise the other persons you
  • There is a way through every block
  • The time is on, start, and the pressure is off
  • Understand through compassion or you’ll misunderstand the times
  • Vibrate the cosmos, the cosmos shall clear the path

If you’re someone wanting to practice focus you need to begin by accepting where you’re at. Your ego tells you that you’re “not ready”, but that’s an excuse. It’s never going to all be done. Nothing can be perfect. You won’t figure it all out before you start. Practice being kinder to yourself, and the rest will flow.

Practising Gratitude [48:00]

The ego voice is loud in all of us, and yet we pretend it’s not there at all.

We’re always looking for things outside of ourselves. For holidays, cars, relationships etc. But we never open our eyes to appreciate what we do have in our life. We don’t appreciate who we are and our existence in this world.

With the emergence of social media, the feeling of not having enough is amplified. We now need to rely on our inner voice more than ever. Tash has found ways to disconnect from social media and be more in the present and grateful for her life.

  • Spend more time with nature
  • Turn off music
  • Go for more walks
  • Meditate
  • Pay attention to your thoughts
  • Spend more time with yourself
  • Put your hand over your heart and take a deep breath

With her diagnosis, Tash has had to make a choice quickly on how she wants the rest of her life to look. She’s stopped wasting energy on negativity and created a routine to allow herself to connect with her true purpose and desires.

Everything is a journey and needs to approached with this mindset. Over the next 12 months Tash hopes to be cancer free, well on her spiritual path, teaching yoga and becoming a spiritual coach.

Head on over to Tash’s Facebook page to keep up with her journey.

Subscribe to the Simple Minds podcast to learn how to use your life experience to change your life.

Grab a drink and check out our Facebook and Instagram. Give us your hot take on the topics discussed in this episode.

Have you had a profound experience that has changed your life? We want to hear from you. Your message could change someone's life.

Mentioned in This Episode

Social Links