Don't Be Down - Be Up
The English language is replete with derivatives of the word, down. Downcast, downtrodden, downhearted, and the eponymous; down and out, all refer to something lower.
Indeed, in Neuro-Linguistic Programming, the eyes moving downward are indicators of accessing emotions or internal thought: the two principal brain activities of human beings.
And of course, when we are feeling down, we look downwards. It’s as though our negative thoughts and emotions are best suited on the ground – below our higher self. Or, perhaps we want sad thoughts or the situation associated with them to disappear - to be buried.
Still, it is curious to note that answers cannot be found in the dirt or the gutter. Looking down robs us of perspective. Feeling down cheats us of opportunity, and being downtrodden, disarms our heroic self.
And it is true, that sometimes life feels like it’s dragging us down but we must never forget that we have the power to rise up. As the ancient Roman, Seneca once pronounced, “It does not matter what you bear, but how you bear it.”
Whatever has brought you down, the antidote – the first step, is found in looking upwards. You must elevate your thoughts, lift your emotions and rise up out of a downward spiral.
The great thing about looking up is that others who can help, guide, care and support us, suddenly come into view. Solutions do not grow in the weeds; they are found on the horizon.
If you are sunk in a pit, it is when you lift your face upwards that you see a person waiting patiently to lift you out. All it takes is for you to accept their help.
You see, the sun is not meant to rise on the back of our heads. It is meant to be met each day, full in the face. Our perceptions, thoughts and emotions have a propensity of thinking the worse. And they can, if we allow them, bring us down.
The good news is that we are inwardly powerful. William Shakespeare, expressed this when he said, “It is not in the stars to hold our destiny but in ourselves.”
So, when things look a little bleak, don’t allow yourself to feel down for too long. Look up, look around and set your path forward.
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