Rising Strong

If we are brave enough, often enough, we will fall.

-Brené Brown

There's a quote I'm reminded of often that Brené Brown uses in her book "Daring Greatly":

"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better.

The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs; who comes short again and again,

because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause;

who at the best knows in the end the triumph of the high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly...."

-Theodore Roosevelt

I don't know that I was doing anything particularly brave when I was competing in a 1.00m jumper class at Anderson ranch at the beginning of August. But, after only one and a half rounds into the first week of competitions, I found myself facedown in the arena dirt.... literally (okay, technically it was grass if we're being picky). Luckily enough for me, I suppose, I don't remember it. It would seem that I rose up from it, and found myself in the hospital after being knocked out with a cut and bleeding eye that was rapidly turning black. In a way, being the one knocked out is much better than being the observer dealing with the after affects of said incident. Apparently it was something akin to reliving the movie 50 First Dates all over again. 

The good news is that I have come away relatively unscathed with no major concussion symptoms. But then again, as I was often reminded in the days following, one would have to have a brain in order to get a concussion, so really it could have been worse. And yes, there have been many brainless jokes endured since it happened.

But joking aside, how does one rise up after being facedown, knocked out, in the dirt?

In my case, I stood up... or at least, I assume I did at some point. 

If you were expecting something more profound, I think the brainless jokes have really taken hold. But there is something to be said for the physical act of standing up and standing your ground. I think Maya Angelou said it best, "You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them." It doesn't seem that I had any control over hitting the ground that day, but when one rides horses, you only assume you will fall off and have to get back up. It goes with the territory. 

But for those of us who struggle to stand up and stand their ground, it can be the most impossible thing to do. This can apply to anything in life; relationships, jobs, faith, criticism, bullying, etc. The list is endless. One will always face criticism in life. If you choose to do anything at all, you will be told you are not good enough. I have only one piece of advice for you: phone a friend. If you don't have one, find one. The biggest thing I was reminded of through all of this is how incredibly lucky I am with my support network. Good friends will help you rise strong by holding out a hand and helping you up. Great friends will make fun of you while helping sweep off the dirt. But they'll be there for you and they'll have your back when you need it. 

We will all face criticism in life. We will all fall down; some figuratively and some very literally. As Aristotle points out, "To avoid criticism say nothing, do nothing, be nothing." But if we are pursuing anything with our lives, it's unavoidable. I don't know about you, but I certainly don't want to "be nothing". Be brave and stand up. Then stand up again if that's what it takes. It may be scary, but it is far less terrifying than the alternative.