One of my favourite motivations in life is the Japanese proverb 七転び八起き ‘Fall down 7 times get up 8’. Initially and for many years I took this as a quote of resilience. In fact, it has been at the forefront of my mind throughout many of my life falls. I used it as a great reminder to keep getting back up regardless of the amount of challenges, setbacks and losses. However, while Maths isn’t my greatest strength (to be honest I’m pretty rubbish at it ) I recently realised that if you fall 7 times, you only need to get back up 7 times to be on your feet once again. This is where the proverb deepens for me. To me, It does not not simply say get back up if you fall. It says get back up if you fall and rise further.
While this proverb’s hint at resilience has helped me immensely in the past, this new found meaning of rising, learning and growing has impacted me significantly recently. Like most important things in life, it doesn’t always come easy. Negative situations are very skilled in hiding their parallel (even if only small) positive outcomes.
Without the major setbacks I have encountered over the past decade, my life would be in a very different place. Perhaps I would be a very different person living in a very different location with very different life circumstances. However, I know that if I lived in this hypothetical sans-setback alternate parallel life where adversity had not found me, I may not have found so many of the positive people, places, experiences, characteristics and lessons which fill my life today. In my alternate unicorn (meaning mythical and unattainable) world I may not have found veganism, yoga, working with kids with special needs, graphic design or my close family ties. I may have strayed from the ocean, lost my grounding and never found my centre and purpose. For this reason I am so thankful for my 7+ falls and 8+ get-ups which have taught, shaped and pushed me into becoming the earthling that I am. With the downfalls there are many parallel positives, all I had to do was look around (Note: photos from my real life not a parallel paradise. One of my favourite positives to my current life)
If you fall down 7, 20, 4424 times, you will get back up (taking as much time as you need) and become stronger than you were before. This doesn't mean future stumbles and falls will not occur, but rather that each one will allow room for more growth, knowledge and strength and more parallel positives.
Just my little earthling thoughts for the week. Peace and Love The Little Earthling