Falling…
Greeting dear friends & fellow navigators, & welcome to my world this week. Three weeks back I wrote an article entitle Closed Doors. Following on from then, in my reflections this week sometimes the wisdom you need does not arrive gently ~ it arrives after life knocks you flat.
Nobody likes failing, or falling; & absolutely nobody enjoys the moment life pulls the ground from beneath your feet. But here is the quiet truth I have learned after years of building, breaking, rebuilding, & beginning again: Life teaches its most important lessons only after it knocks you down. Not when you win, or when everything is smooth. Indeed, not when you feel confident.
But when reality hits hard enough to shake the version of you having outgrown its usefulness. My article this week is about this very moment ~ and how it transforms you. What I found back in 2005, the fall was indeed not the end, rather it was the invitation.
When life knocks you down, the instinct is to think: “Why is this happening to me?” But the better question is: “What is this moment trying to reveal?”
Every fall is an invitation. An invitation to see what you have ignored, & an invitation to rebuild what was shaky. In fact, an invitation to evolve into someone stronger, sharper, & more self-aware. No breakthrough arrives without first breaking something.
When you are winning, the world claps, however, when you are hurting, the applause stops ~ & so does the noise. Falling shows you who you really are! This is when you finally hear yourself. Your doubts, strengths. Your real voice, your real limits, & your real potential. You can deceive others for a while, but you can never deceive life. When you fall, life reveals your truth ~ & asks you to face it.
The real lesson I learnt over the following 19 years was growth does not happen at the peak ~ It happens in the pit. Think about your biggest growth moments. Were they during success? Probably not. Growth hides in these places: when you are uncomfortable & uncertain. When your plans collapse & you are forced to start again; essentially when you have no choice but to step up.
Success builds confidence, however, struggle builds character. Confidence can be shaken, but character cannot.
Falling forces you to let go of what no longer serves you. The version of you to fall, cannot be the version of you who rises. Life strips away what is weak, unnecessary, or outdated, like: old habits, old stories, old self-doubt, old identities & old expectations.
When you hit the ground, you drop what you were never meant to carry & is the beginning of freedom. Your rise back will be quiet, slow, & beautiful. The rise is not dramatic, loud, or perfect. Rather, it is quiet. It starts with small decisions; like getting up when you do not feel ready. Trying again even after failing & believing you are capable even when you are unsure.
Particularly, it is taking responsibility for your growth. It starts with choosing progress over perfection, & one day, without realizing it, you look back & see how far you have come.
In summary, you do not rise despite the fall, rather, you rise because of it. The fall, well I found it so, is not a failure, indeed the opposite, it is the beginning. If life has knocked you down recently, take a breath. This is not the end of your story; it is the chapter where everything changes.
Just few observations again dear friends & provide an opinion in my world. Thank you for stopping by, I appreciate your being here. If my journey encourages you also, all is well with my soul.
Looking forward to next week; this is Kenn Butler in Paradise, Nelson with best wishes.
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