Discussion: “A Fall is not Forever: You Can Get Back Up Again” (Caryne's Story)
Written by: Jacqueline B. Miller “Lady J”
July 15, 2022
With all that has been going on over the past few years, many of us have “fallen down” in so many areas, including life, business and even spiritually.
Moving Through the Ups and Downs of Life can be difficult, and sometimes we simply want to give up. I don’t know about you, but I have had times when I fell flat on my face after giving all I had. What I felt like was my very best effort and yet I still hit rock bottom.
Well, the reality is we all know how to do this, fall and get back up. We’ve also gone through it in a figurative sense many other times. We move through the difficulties of life, trying to find our new road to stability. Each of us are on our own personal mission. Yet, we all have the same questions; are we resilient and will we be bold enough to get back up again?
When you fall, do find that you can get back up right away?
When you fail, do you learn from it and use it as an opportunity to grow?
Many of us, myself included, struggle at times with learning from our failures. We sometimes give up as soon as we fall, not realizing that what’s needed and necessary is to push longer and harder until we reach a breakthrough or desired destination.
Time and time again, we say to ourselves, if I had just held on a little longer, I would have made it through.
How many times have you “Started over”?
To begin again can be frustrating. Fresh starts and new beginnings are always scary. Sometimes, we’ve never done what we are currently trying to do or modify.
Change is normal, but without a doubt can be inherently challenging. However, if your mind is telling you it’s time to start fresh, you might need to listen to that voice.
Don’t be deceived and allow fear to take control. The fear is natural, allow it to grant you the strength to get up and overcome that which is seeking to hold you down. Starting with our emotions. Yes, our own emotions are the principal weapons that we give power to defeat us.
We cannot allow our emotions to get in the way and keep us from using our God given power. Is this not your story? Oh, it’s just mine? From shame and embarrassment, that could become disappointment, we grant our mind and emotions to take control. When that happens, we can’t get back up. The weight of our own self-sabotaging thinking has taken control and will hold us down.
Your mind will sound like a scratched record, repeating over and over in your head the words “I can’t do it”. “This will never work”. “I keep failing at everything I try” or “I’m a failure”... Any of this sound familiar?
Let me tell you this: YOU are the only one that can control the thoughts in your head. You can feed them with the negativity of the world that would have you to believe that you are worthless. That in turn makes you feel it is not worth starting over. What you can do is encourage yourself with the knowledge, wisdom and understanding that no matter how many times you start over, you can succeed. You will win!!!
How Do We Get Back Up When We Fall? - By Being Resilient!
As a mother/grandmother, I reflect on first steps in life often. Have you ever seen a small child learning how to walk? If you have, you know what an extraordinary and amazing experience it is.
Even when a small child falls down in the learning to walk process, they are full of optimism and excited to get up and try it again and again.
My niece Caryne is a prime example of how your outlook affects your outcome. She began walking at about ten months old, however she had a stroke and died three times before her first birthday. Caryne lost the ability to walk during the time spent in a coma. Weeks later, when she awoke, coupled with the loss of the ability to walk, she had also lost use of her left side of her body. It was as if it plunged her back to infancy. She had to begin again. Her early physical encounter in life, made her a bit awkward and when she would walk or run she’d “fall down”. On her way down she would make this declaration “I’m OKAY” long before she would hit the ground.
Caryne is a prime example of resilience. She shows us daily what true resilience looks like. She’s going on seventeen this year. Yes, she has residual effects from the multiple strokes she endured early in life, but they have not stopped her from pushing and achieving new heights. She is now a camp counselor, going into the eleventh grade. She writes music, plays a guitar and loves to play soccer of all things. To this day every time she falls down, she gets back up after she yells out, “I’m OKAY”.
If you are looking for the best word to describe her, it would definitely be resilient! Resilience is about relentlessly picking yourself up time and time again. Understanding that you’re going to be just fine, no matter how many times you go down. If you fall or get knocked down, the only choice you have is to get back up!
To me the idea of resilience is that you're so ready to stand up you are already doing it before going down. Getting up is a choice and we can relate these choices to those in other areas of decision making and determination as well. Which is why being resilient is so important.
It’s okay to do “IT” wrong. We need to fail from time to time. However, when we fall or even make a mistake, we can’t be quick to decide we can’t get back up. It’s when we convince ourselves that, that’s our reality we become paralyzed. Defeat takes over and boldness has left us without having the courage, willingness, and commitment to get up when we fall. Sometimes it’s so easy to give into feeling sorry for ourselves about the “bad” things that happen. We find that society sees it as the norm and we’re often encouraged to do so as well. By people around us and our culture in general, whether we do it out loud with others, on social media or just in our heads.
You Can Get Back Up Again when you Let Your Failure or Challenges Become Opportunities for Growth.
Failure is ever-present in life; from the moment we take our first steps to our current path in life. It helps us grow as well as strengthens us. It also allows us to learn from our weaknesses and to develop our unknown strengths.
We all will need to come to grips with the fact that we will fall many times throughout our life’s journey. Everybody falls or fails, and everyone reacts differently when they fall. However, when we commit ourselves to getting back up, shake ourselves off, face our truths. Importantly, not let it stop us from being who we are and going for what we want. It’s at that point we tap into what true power, boldness, and strength is made of. Yes, in that season you will see the resilience in you emerge.
Where in your life have you recently fallen down? Have you gotten back up yet? If so, great. Acknowledge yourself and celebrate. If not, what will it take for you to get back up, learn from the experience, and appreciate yourself in the process? Share your thoughts, ideas, insights, actions with others. It may just empower and help them to “Get Back Up Again”
“Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end.” …Seneca
“Take the first step in faith. You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
Thank you for joining me for Friday at Sundown. Remember… Just Breathe!
Donnie McClurkin – “We Fall Down but We Get Up”– YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4b2z4lQwnNw
(Disclaimer: We do not own the rights to the music in this video)
About the Writer:
Jacqueline B. Miller “Lady J” is a creative; energetic multi-facet Woman of God. As an ordained Minister of the Gospel, a Marriage Coach, Life Coach, Writer, Published Author and Virtual talk show host and personality you will find that she has a servant’s heart. Her life’s loves are found within her being a wife, mother, grandmother, sister and friend. Though life has been traumatic at times she has endured and has learned to “Wait” on the Lord, who is her strength and to praise God in the midst of the storms.
CONTACT: Jacqueline B. ~Jackie “Lady J” Miller
On the web: http://Vlfminstrys.org/
Facebook: @ victorytalk or https://www.facebook.com/jackie.y.miller
Twitter: @JackieLadyJ1 Instagram: JackieLadyJ1/ Jackie Miller Email: jmblessedevents@vlfministrys.org
Lady J
...."Don't allow your past to rob you of your future" …I can do all thigs through Christ who strengthens me…Philippians 4:13
#Speaklife #CarpeDiem #WalkinyourVictory