Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in Rising every time we fall. ~ Confucius ~
How many times have we fallen and hurt ourselves?
How many times have we fallen and hurt ourselves, because obstacles have been left in our pathway to hamper our journey and progress?
How many times have you been purposefully tripped up by someone(s); where you’ve fallen and bruised or cut yourself and it hurts deeply, not because of the pain of the injury but, because of the action of the person(s) who did the deed, someone who you never thought would do this to you?
Okay, so at some point in our lives we will fall down, but how many of you will get right up, dust yourself off and take it all in your stride as a life experience and go on to learn from it?
Everyone gets hurt sometime… but, some of us are so hurt by the experience, that it renders and leaves them in a form of suspended animation; where they cannot go backwards or forwards because they are traumatised in some way shape or form by what has happened and, more to the point, by the person(s) who did the damage!
You see, these situations happen to us regularly, in our working environments, our home life or even our social settings; affecting us in ways that we sometimes cannot find the words to express how we feel and, can only react to the incident. Sometimes we may go on to cut ourselves off or, shut out the whole emotionally debilitating experience by pursuing the appropriate mask to wear, so no-one else can get that close to you to see what effect this hurtful and painful experience has had on you.
“I no longer feared the darkness once I knew the Phoenix in me would rise from the ashes.” ~ William C. Hannan ~
Sisters at The Table: Conversing…
I recently had a series of deep and meaningful conversations with some conscious black women who are part of my LinkedIn connections where, we regularly share, comment, tag or like articles, posting and the like, that we feel resonate with each other. The conversations had, were so enriching, enjoyable and thought-provoking, that we all decided that we wanted to come together and synergise our energy, support, ideas to create an inclusive platform where we can communicate at whatever frequency we chose; sharing, exploring and thinking out loud within a non-judgemental and open environment.
Whilst we were conversing at the virtual table, a couple of videos were shared which portrayed the theme of phenomenal women, which we were all in agreement and alignment with. Dianne Greyson, Director, Equilibrium Mediation Consulting Ltd quoted “We RISE like a Phoenix and we spread our wings holding strength in our arms to support others.” Likening the situations that we individually faced and championed, to that of the Phoenix a mythical bird that was one of a kind. If you know mythology, you would know the bird lived for approximately 500 years, after which it would burn itself to death and then, rise from its own ashes as a youthful bird, ready to live another life span. In modern days, we can liken ourselves, and challenges we face in life to that of the modern day Phoenix; rising from one’s own ashes which can describe one surmounting great obstacles.
Dianne’s quote, really resonated with me and, got me really thinking about all the challenges I have faced since coming to London (many moons ago). As a young woman, I had many goals and aspirations in succeeding in my then chosen career pathway. I had even chosen a name for my company which was Phoenix Consulting, because I had my confidence knocked on numerous occasions and, as a black woman trying to succeed in an environment and industry that, to be frank, wasn’t ready then and, wouldn’t be ready in the distant future to accept my zest of life to succeed and progress up the career ladder. I thought about my knock backs, and likened my journey to that of the Phoenix so, out of curiosity, I ventured out to look up the company name I had chosen, only to be perplexed and crestfallen, because there were others who had similar goals of calling their own companies and, using Phoenix as part of the company name; obviously relating to their own respective journey, and rise from ashes in one form or another around the challenges they had faced.
I decided to write about rising from the ashes and, asked the Sisters at The Table to contribute by letting me know what rising from the ashes meant to them and, they came back with their respective contributions of where they stand and proudly feel now.
I hope this post gets you thinking about your own respective journey in life, be it work, home or your social setting and, how you have risen above things that may have challenged you in one way or another.
In this day and age, to rise from the ashes like the Phoenix, does not necessarily derive from adversity; one could be coming to the end of a career and venturing onto pastures new, whether its branching out on your own or another organisation. Some of you may be preparing to change your career pathway completely, undertaking a role that may have been a longstanding dream finally being realised and fulfilled.
Whatever juncture you are at in your life, it’s always a good thing to take a temperature check, or stop for a breather and take stock of where you are now. It is wonderful to look back at where you’ve been, walking the pathway to where you are now presently, which will most definitely be spurring you on to venture the pathway where your goals and aspirations are leading you.
#StillWeRise in strength, power and conviction, knowing Who We Are…
Happy Rising!