“Choose to Rise”

After dealing with a challenging situation, I spent the weekend wading in a pool of mixed emotions, including sadness, sorrow and anger. I was desperate to get out of the low place that left me feeling unsure and confused about God’s will for my life. My purpose. My being. When I am stressed, my three go-to de-stressors are sugar, hair or television. This time, I opted for television and became intrigued by a documentary on Discovery Plus.

The documentary examined culture and how this present day society pushes us to reach for more, and not necessarily material things. Our ‘more’ could be to exceed in business or personal goals. Our ‘more’ could be to knock out our competitors or save for a lavish vacation. Whatever it may be, to meet that standard, we work longer and harder, and then we crash. Yet, the narrator pointed out how resilient we are as human beings. The documentary reminded me of how Egypt, at the climax of its decline, powered through and built the amazing pyramids, which to this day keeps us in awe of how they created such an enormous structure with few tools. Also, I thought about how biblical leaders such as King David obtained their most tremendous success when standing on the chopping block. That’s when I realized that I, too, can rise even when standing on sinking sand.

Although we may realize our strength, it is hard to be strong when we need to be a warrior most of the time. I, like many of you, have a stressful life at times. I will admit that I cause 70 percent of my stress because I am naturally an overachiever and competitor. I want to do my best at everything I subscribe to in business and life. This drive sometimes causes a weight so great, all I can do is sink. For me, my sinking patterns show up in my negative attitude or disengagement. It can even look like allowing others to control how I respond to certain situations. You can’t blame anyone for your shortcomings or negative behavior. You can only blame yourself because you’ve given someone else the authority to modify your character. This toxicity can only lead to the destruction of your personality and purpose. Like the Egyptians and King David, we must rise despite the circumstances.

To help me remember how strong I am, I read Dr. Maya Angelou’s poem, “Still I Rise.” Dr. Angelou’s poetry has inspired me for years, but “Still I Rise” picks me up from my lowest place. The poem begins, “You may write me down in history with your bitter, twisted lies, you may tread me in the very dirt, but still, like dust, I’ll rise.” The poem ends, “You may shoot me with your words, you may cut me with your eyes, you may kill me with your hatefulness, but still, like air, I’ll rise.”

So, no matter what, always choose to rise.