If you’re searching for a symbol to represent cyclist Lance Armstrong, nothing works quite as well as the yellow Livestrong wristband. It’s been nearly ubiquitous in American culture since its creation in May 2004 by Armstrong, Nike and the advertising agency Wieden+Kennedy. It serves as a fundraising item for the Lance Armstrong Foundation, which supports those affected by cancer, and it has raised over 325 million dollars since its launch. Armstrong is a world-renowned athlete who embodies the notion of inspiration for millions of people.
Armstrong began his athletic career early in life by dabbling with swimming and competing in triathlons. He quickly learned that cycling was his strongest area, and soon he began focusing solely on that. He won the US Amateur Championship in 1991, and established himself as a force to be reckoned with in cycling at age 21 when he won the prestigious UCI Road World Championship.
Four years later, in October 1996, Armstrong was diagnosed with testicular cancer. He was only 25 at the time. His diagnosis was stage 3, and the doctors gave him less than a 40% chance of survival. After going through a couple months of intensive chemotherapy, by the end of 1996, he was declared well enough to end his treatment. Armstrong went into remission and by the beginning of 1998 he was in full training mode, ready to engage the cycling world once again.
The apex of his career came in 1999 when he won the Tour de France, only 3 years after being diagnosed with cancer. He went on to win the race seven consecutive times, making him the only person to have ever done so. Cancer survivor at 25, Tour de France winner seven times over at 34: Inspiration at its finest.
In 1997, Armstrong created a foundation in his name to support those who are affected by cancer, and it’s become one of the top 10 groups funding cancer research. After a brief comeback, Armstrong officially retired from cycling in 2011. “Knowledge is power, community is strength and positive attitude is everything,” he wrote in his book It’s Not About the Bike: My Journey Back to Life. Indeed, with those three ingredients Armstrong won in a battle with cancer and went on to break world records as a tremendous cyclist.
Armstrong’s life is a wellspring of inspiration, especially his courageous battle with cancer and the unending persistence and drive with which he lived his life after that ordeal. He writes in his book, “for most of my life I had operated under a simple schematic of winning and losing, but cancer was teaching me a tolerance for ambiguities.” Perhaps that’s the real message we can glean from Armstrong’s struggles and victories. As the saying goes, there’s such a thing as winning and losing, but it’s really about how you play the game.
Remember Armstrong’s advice before you go on stage to deliver your next presentation. Whether the presentation is a hit or not is important, but other factors– how you felt, how the audience responded, if you did your best, if you feel satisfied with how it went– are significant as well. Avoid the tendency to think in blacks and whites; find middle ground with yourself, and with your audience.
