This week I ran into the wife of a friend of mine at Starbucks. I coached their boys in high school. The boys have done well in life. No surprise since in high school they were great kids on the field and off.

It has been months since I have seen my friend. Usually we connect at a winter conference but since Lynnda and I have been traveling, we missed several meetings. When I asked how he was, I was shocked to learn he is battling cancer. Hopefully he will win. He is a fighter with a beautiful family and a lot to live for.

It reminded me of my battle with cancer and how quickly our lives can change. I was 33 years old. My oldest son was in junior high and my youngest two children were in grade school. At a routine visit with my family doctor, he found something of concern and immediately sent me to a specialist in the building.

The specialist said, “You need surgery.” I asked, “How soon?” “Tomorrow.” I protested, Doc was firm, “Go home. Get a few things and be back here tonight.” I thought, “This is serious.” I went home had dinner and played catch with the kids wondering if I would see them grow up.

The surgery went well. They found and removed most of the cancer. Fortunately, radiation took care of the rest. I was blessed.

Going through radiation therapy I got to know some of the other patients. We saw each other a lot. I noticed those that were optimistic and positive did better. Those who were negative deteriorated. The positive patients stayed healthy.

The decline of the negative patients was dramatic and noticeable. It appeared both groups were getting exactly what they expected.

The late Earl Nightingale, success & personal development expert, author, motivational speaker and radio commentator said, “Our mind can hold only one thought at a time. Keep it positive. We become what we think about.” I ordered Earl’s cassette tape set called Lead the Field from TV. It was my first personal development set of tapes. I listened to it so often I almost wore it out. I still remember most of the key points like, “Don’t talk about your health, unless it is good, to anyone but your doctor. It can’t help them. It won’t help you.” “Successful people are successful because of their great attitudes.” It is their attitude that brings success. Earl said, “One way to develop a great attitude is to treat everyone we come in contact with as the most important person on earth.” That tape set changed my attitude and helped me in my battle with cancer. Five years after the surgery and radiation I was pronounced cancer free.

We can’t always control what happens to us. We can always control our attitude and our actions. Life is a blessing. Shouldn’t we use it to make a positive difference in the lives of others.

Last week I had the opportunity to do just that when I spoke as part of an energy panel for a virtual conference hosted by CASE (Council of American States in Europe). CASE is made up of 19 states working together to bring European investment to the USA. Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia are members. We were told there were over 100 attendees, the majority were European companies interested in coming to the USA. Shale Crescent will be following up with the corporate attendees.

The Shale Crescent USA message I delivered was about the abundant, dependable and economic energy our region has. Europe is in the middle of an energy crisis. One power company Executive from the Midwest said by 2050 they wouldn’t be using coal or natural gas to produce electricity. He never said what they would be using. Only a small portion of their electricity was produced by nuclear power. The Europeans are seeing the results of a similar electricity grid in Europe. Germany is expanding coal mines. After I spoke, he did add grid dependability was important without explaining how they would achieve it with their 2050 goal. We explained to the Europeans, in the Shale Crescent USA they can use weather dependent energy and know they have 100% back up with natural gas.

I told the story of the farmer in Maryland who had solar power on the roof of his barns and other buildings. On sunny days he can run the farm on solar power. He is off the power grid. At night and on cloudy days his natural gas generator takes over and producers electricity to run the farm.

We introduced the Europeans (and Americans) to the concept of regional supply chains to lower carbon footprint, increase sustainability and reduce costs. They never looked at emissions on a global or large-scale basis like SCUSA did. Elimination of thousands of miles of ocean shipping on container ships spewing emissions is a big deal as is making products in the USA with U.S. energy instead of China using Middle East oil or Chinese coal.

Keeping our thoughts positive and a good attitude can help us and the people around us. Our attitude is contagious and is reflected by those around us. When we come home from work if it has been a bad day leave it at work and don’t poison the attitude of your family.

The Russia-Ukraine war has been going on for a year. Parents from both countries have lost sons, daughters and grandchildren. Its continuance puts other countries in the region and the world at risk. Imagine the emissions a war of that scale produces. All we hear on the news is sending more weapons to the region. Is anyone promoting peace? Our future may depend it. We can act. We can pray. We can encourage or government and religious leaders to work for peace. We can believe all things are possible.

Greg Kozera, gkozera@shalecrescentusa.com, is the director of marketing and sales for Shale Crescent USA, www.shalecrescentusa.com. He is a professional engineer with a master’s in environmental engineering and over 40 years’ experience in the energy industry. He is a professional speaker and author of four books and numerous published articles.