Did you ever see something big and established, and think “Wow. They did a great job!”
Breast Cancer Awareness Month is like that for me.
It started in 1985, as a partnership between the American Cancer Society and the pharmaceutical division of Imperial Chemical Industries (now part of AstraZeneca), a leading manufacturer of oncology drugs.
I imagine the conversation that launched it a couple of ways. On the one hand, it was someone at the American Cancer Society talking to a colleague in the break room.
“I wish more people knew how to prevent breast cancer. No-one is talking about it!”
“We should do an awareness program, but how will we pay for it?”
“The drug companies making all the money from oncology drugs should pay!”
Or maybe it was the drug company that made the initial overture.
“Why does everyone hate us? We should do something to show our nicer, kinder, caring side.”
Either way, an idea in 1985 grew into a partnership that grew into a worldwide movement. People are more proactive on screening, and deaths from breast cancer are down.
No matter how it started, this global awareness campaign didn’t happen by accident. Someone had an idea and put steps in place to bring it to the world. And it stuck.
THEY is YOU (HINT…there’s No Such Thing as They)
It boils down to one of my favorite phrases: There’s no such thing as THEY. It’s a person, like you, who had an idea and acted on it. In other words, you are more powerful than you imagine.
What’s one idea that you are proud of–either already executed or still in your mind?