I was crying and she was holding my hand and she said, ‘let me tell you something, let me tell you what a tragedy is… you know [when young kids with cancer die], that’s a tragedy.’ she said, ‘He built this family. He is a triumph.’ She said, ‘remember that,’.

Hoda Kotb

Categorized in : Entertainment

People think that you have to do something huge, like go to Africa and build a school, but you can make a small change in a day. If you change Wednesday, then you change Thursday. Pretty soon it's a week, then a month, then a year. It's bite-size, as opposed to feeling like you have to turn your life inside out to make changes.

Hoda Kotb

small-changes school thinking

Be crazy. Be stupid. Be silly. Be weird. Be whatever. Because life is too short to be anything but happy

Hoda Kotb

crazy stupid silly

If you fall-and trust me, you will- make sure you fall on your back. Because if you fall on your back, you can see up. And if you can see up, you can get up. And you can keep going and going and going.

Hoda Kotb

get-up trust-me fall

There are two types of people: The ones who give you 50 reasons it can't be done ... and the ones who just do it.

Hoda Kotb

inspiring two people

Life is a series of baby steps along the way and if you add up these tiny little steps you take toward your goal, whatever it is, whether it's giving up something, a terrible addiction or trying to work your way through an illness. When you total up those baby steps you'd be amazed over the course of 10 years, the strides you've taken.

Hoda Kotb

giving-up taken baby

I love music. For me, music is morning coffee. It's mood medicine. It's pure magic. A good song is like a good meal-I just want to inhale it and then share a bite with someone else.

Hoda Kotb

music song morning

Tone is often the most important part of a conversation - and listening is so much more important than what you say.

Hoda Kotb

tone important listening

When my shoes are killing me, I take a maxi pad and put it in the bottom of my shoe. It is better than any Dr. Scholl's insert. That fashion tip has saved me through some long nights.

Hoda Kotb

shoes fashion night

I think credibility is one of those things that, if you work hard and you get it by standing in the trenches and traveling the world, people realize you're multi-faceted. Part of me is a serious journalist and I loved all of the stuff I did. And then there's another part of me that likes to let go and I think a lot of women can relate to that.

Hoda Kotb

hard-work letting-go thinking

Having cancer empowered me to take more risks. I knew beating cancer was going to shape me, but it wasnt going to be all of me.

Hoda Kotb

cancer risk shapes

I'm a disorganized mess. My purse is gross: I once found a shoulder pad, string cheese, and a Christmas ornament in it!

Hoda Kotb

ornaments purses christmas

I try to live in a little bit of my own joy and not let people steal it or take it.

Hoda Kotb

joy inspiring people

If you have a friend or family member with breast cancer, try not to look at her with 'sad eyes.' Treat her like you always did; just show a little extra love.

Hoda Kotb

cancer eye trying

Sometimes you have to take the focus off of you and put it on someone else and it's funny what you can accomplish and how much strength you really have.

Hoda Kotb

accomplish focus sometimes

Life's not perfect. Some loose ends may never get trimmed up and tidied.

Hoda Kotb

ends perfect may

I'm a huge karaoke person even though I have the worst singing voice. When you love doing something, who cares?

Hoda Kotb

who-cares singing voice

The biggest thing I've learned is to smash my own spiders and get on with my day. There will be another!

Hoda Kotb

life-goes-on spiders ive-learned

I run in Central Park as the sun comes up. Some may mistake it for walking, but I swear I am running. I could not do it without my iPod.

Hoda Kotb

ipods mistake running

It's gotten to the point where if I throw a cookie in the garbage, I have to douse it in Cascade. Otherwise, why wouldn't I take it out and eat it?

Hoda Kotb

cascade garbage cookies

I think after overcoming breast cancer, you sort of become fearless and somehow going up to your boss to talk about a possible promotion doesn't seem like such a daunting task anymore.

Hoda Kotb

boss cancer thinking