Let’s start with a joke from The Lion King:
“What is a motto?
I dunno, what is a motto with you?!”
Do you have a motto or mantra to express the way you feel about cancer?
This might be a sentence or just one word that captures your essence, your values and your strategy. It’s symbolic of your brand and who you are as a person, your core philosophy.
When I was first diagnosed with a Stage IV head and neck cancer, I quickly adopted the national motto of the Kingdom of Scotland ‘Nemo me impune lacessit‘. For me, this was a necessary act of strength.
Nemo me impune lacessit
This translates as ‘No one provokes me with impunity’ and is another way of saying ‘No one can harm me unpunished’ and it seemed to fit how furious I felt that my life had been upended and I wasn’t just going to lay there and take it!
This is similar to the motto of the city of Nancy in France – ‘Non inultus premor’ which means “I cannot be touched unavenged.”
This prickly motto embodies a sense of defiance and resilience, reflecting a steely determination to not allow anything to go unchallenged or unpunished and the willingness to defend against any threat or aggression. It also represents a constant call for vigilance. It is iron sharpening iron.
Well, cancer is aggressive and it is threatening and we have to be forever on our guard so the motto is well-suited. It speaks volumes.
Mottoes carry a specific pragmatic and defining meaning and are actually very powerful personal battle cries that serve a valuable purpose as guiding principles and beliefs that can fuel our motivation when going through something like cancer.
The language-identity interrelationship is an important one when you have cancer and so mottoes or motto-goals are important to latch onto.
I don’t tend to stick to just one motto as there are so many great ones to draw upon for support. They also improve your French and Latin and add an extra layer of “magisterial” authority to the saying.
I tend to opt for fearlessness mottoes dominated by calls for courage.
When I’m ‘training for treatment’ and clocking up my daily miles in readiness for my next immunotherapy infusion, I get to the point where I can say ‘Je suis prest’ or ‘I am ready’. When I’ve put in all the hard yards to keep myself fit and well, it feels great to utter those three simple words. I also like ‘Tout jour prest’, ‘Always ready.’
Another favourite sounds like some sort of Harry Potter spell but it fits perfectly with the experiences I go through: ‘Adversa vurtute repello’, ‘I repel adversity with fortitude’
Other worthy contenders of our time include the following:
‘Luctor et Emergo’,
‘I struggle and emerge’
‘Provehito in Altum’,
‘Launch into the deep’
‘Per Aruda Ad Astra‘,
‘Through adversity to the stars’
‘Periissem ni periissem’,
‘I would have perished had I not persisted’
‘Invictus maneo’,
‘I remain unvanquished’
‘Fac et spera’,
‘Do and hope’
‘Absque metu’,
‘Without fear’
‘Vive ut vivas’,
‘Live, so that you may live’
‘In ardua nitor’,
‘I endeavour in difficulties’
‘Non ducor, duco’,
‘I am not led, I lead’
‘Per ardua ad alta’,
‘Through difficulties to higher things’
‘Sub sole sub umbra virens’,
‘Flourishing both in sunshine and in shade’
‘Haud ullis labentia ventis’,
‘Yielding under no winds’
‘Nunquam non paratus’,
‘Never unprepared’
‘Reviresco’,
‘I grow strong again’
‘Dum spiro spero’,
‘While I breathe I hope’
‘Spero meliora’,
‘I hope for better things’
‘Virecit vulnere virtus’,
‘Courage grows strong at a wound’
‘Non timeo sed caveo’,
‘I do not fear but am careful’
‘Sans peur’,
‘Without fear’
‘Vincit qui se vincit’,
‘He conquers who conquers himself’
Mottoes such as those above can serve as beacons and help us maintain a clear focus. They can offer guidance during difficult times and power a comeback.
Don’t underestimate the power of a motto as in some cases, army mottoes have inspired soldiers to great acts of bravery.
I use mottoes as an inspirational coping strategy and they are a healthy part of my self-talk and self-motivation to keep persisting. They remind me who I am and what I stand for.
Funds might prevent you from inscribing your motto in sandstone above the entrance to your house but a homemade version hung in the kitchen adorned with your motto ensures that your values never sleep and are always on show.
‘In Omnia Paratus’ – ‘Ready for Anything’