I am human. I never thought I was superhuman, mind you. But sometimes I forget what it is to be human. That it’s normal to be imperfect and we shouldn’t beat ourselves up about it. And it’s not the failures and falls that make us human either, it’s the getting back up. It’s that power to choose the next action that is human.
I’d forgotten that falling and getting back up strengthens us. Getting back up and taking the next action. And there-in lies the secret to human strength. Action.
Yeah, I know it’s obvious. It’s all over Insta / Pinterest – the inspirational photos with quotes about getting up and brushing ourselves off. Blah blah blah.
Taking action despite our failures – especially when the failure is so fresh- is difficult. Especially when we don’t particularly feel like a strong human being right now. And yet, mustering up the strength to do the very next thing, even though you are hurting, demotivated, discouraged, that is being human.
It’s all about taking the next action.
I get it. It’s difficult sometimes to take any action. It’s so much easier to pull away, to give up, to hide. But if we hide, we can not share our ideas and brilliance with the world. We can not share our individual gifts and contribute to the world. And I do believe we each have something to contribute – no matter how small it may seem – it is not insignificant to the person or people that need it.
That’s why you and I need to take the next action. Make it small if it helps (and it helps). It can be one decision you make right now in this moment. Decide to act on something that is important to you.
It could be to go for a walk, becoming healthy one step at a time. Or maybe you want to read more and that one action is to select the book you’ll read today. If you want to get better at conversations, take the next action that you uniquely need to make it happen. If you don’t know what to do, take the next action to get help (a coach is a good place to start).
It’s with these small decisions and taking the very next action that we will eventually become the humans we are meant to be. And then, with that action done – recognize yourself for being a strong human. Then do it again.
Each time we face our fear, we gain strength, courage, and confidence in the doing.
Theodore Roosevelt
That’s all we need to do. One action after the other. Like putting one foot in front of the other will get you from here to your destination, one action after another will help you (and I) get closer to becoming our best selves – imagine what we can do together!