Jake Pearson  00:00

Are you trying to figure out the secret to happiness, we're here What Makes You Happy with Jake Pearson, we want to make that happiness more accessible for you in your life. So stick around as we interview everyday people, inspirational leaders and your favorite celebrities on what makes them happy.

Welcome back to the podcast where we ask the simple question, what makes you happy? 

My name is Jake Pearson. And our guest today is the author of Sustainable Excellence. We have Terry Tucker from Denver, Colorado, United States. Terry, it is an absolute pleasure to have you. How are you doing?

Terry Tucker  00:31

I'm great, Jake. Thanks for having me on. I'm looking forward to talking with you.

Jake Pearson  00:48

I'm looking forward to talking with you about all things that make you happy. Terry, could you please start with that... What does make you happy?

Terry Tucker  01:00

The thing that makes me happy now and this is really been crystallized by the last 10 years I've been dealing with cancer that is caused me to have my foot amputated, my leg amputated, and continuing being treated for tumors in my lungs. And what makes me happy is what I call my three F's, which are Faith, Family, and Friends. I have a very deep Faith in God, I have a great Family, a wife and a daughter, I have a mom who's still alive. And my Friends have really kind of supported me, surrounded me and really kind of uplifted me during these last 10 years. So Faith, Family, and Friends are the things that make me happy right now. 

Jake Pearson  01:40

Oh, thank you for sharing that. Terry, when did you realize that the three F's were sort of that pillar in your life? 

Terry Tucker  01:47

Yes, I've always had a strong faith in God. And when I found out that I had cancer, people would ask me when they found out I had a faithful life [phonetic 01:55], well, you must blame God because you got cancer. And I used to sort of joke with them. I said, no, I don't think God got up on a Tuesday morning checked his to do list and said, Terry Tucker cancer today. I don't think that at all. But I think what God has given me is the ability to get through this. And like I said, then I have a very, very close family with my wife and daughter. And when I had my leg amputated, my doctor wanted to put me on chemotherapy, and I looked at him and said, "Is it gonna save my life?" He said, "No, but it might buy you some more time." I suppose I go talk it over with my family. So I come home, and it's my wife and daughter. And I'm like, "Okay, here's the deal, my daughter's immediately... Alright, we need a family meeting." I'm like. "Family meeting, there's three of us." It's not like we got a board here or something like that, you know, so we all sit around the kitchen table, and we talk about me having chemotherapy. And then my daughter's like, "Well, let's take a vote. How many people want dad to have chemotherapy." And my wife and daughter raise their hand. I'm like, "Wait a minute, am I getting out voted for something I don't want to do." 

But I remember one of my jobs in a former life, so to speak, I was a police officer. And when we were in the police academy, we had our defensive tactics instructor, have us bring a photograph of the people we love the most to class. And we were to look at that photograph when we were learning to defend ourselves, because he realized that you will fight harder for the people you love than you will fight for yourself. So I took chemotherapy, not because I wanted to, but because I love my family more than I love myself. And then finally, friends... Friends is just a situation where I think you find out who's really in your corner when you're faced with something difficult, like cancer in your life. And I've been very blessed to have some great people support me through this journey.

Jake Pearson  03:38

We really appreciate you sharing that Terry, it is... I can't imagine what you're going through. And it's amazing to see how much of a smile you still have on your face yet. What you're going through is something really unthinkable. So if someone walked up to you on the street, and they were also struggling with cancer, they were going through cancer and they were feeling really down and really unhappy in their life. What would your advice be to them, then and there?

Terry Tucker  04:13

My advice would be this, I had a nurse recently asked me what it was like to have my foot amputated and to have my leg amputated. And what I told her was it has not been easy. I'm still learning how to walk again. But what I would tell this person is look, cancer can take all your physical faculties, the cancer can't touch your mind. It can't touch your heart and it can't touch your soul. And Jake, that's who I am. That's who you are. That's what everybody who's listening to us is and I know we get all excited you know, when we have cancer and we have to have drugs that make us lose our hair or throw up or at blotchy skin or whatever. But the bottom line is, this body is not who you are. This body is just the vessel to hold who you are. So spend more time focusing on working on developing your heart Your mind and your soul. And I think you'll get a different perspective on life.

Jake Pearson  05:04

Terry, thank you so much for sharing all things that make you happy. We really do appreciate your time today.

Terry Tucker  05:13

Well, thanks for having me on, Jake. I appreciate it.

Jake Pearson  05:15

Thank you and best of luck. We hope you kick Cancer's ass. 

Thanks for listening to the podcast. We hope it gives you something to think about on your quest to discover what makes you happy. Make sure to check out whatmakesyouhappypodcast.com to connect with today's guest and follow us on all our social media platforms, and to stay up to date on what's happening next and what makes you happy. Don't forget to share this episode with a friend and we'll see you next time!