The fallen

I hold to the belief that the story of those who have fallen, been brought low by adversity but got back up to keep moving forward, is a better story than those who have not. I feel more akin to them, probably because I've fallen many times myself, and gotten back up and dusted off. I find it's the scrapes and bruises we gather along the journey of our lives that help shape them and sure, some of the stories aren't pleasant, although most have lessons within them for the individual experiencing the fall and those listening to the story.

I've fallen a time or three; much more than that really, but I don't mean those little stumbles we all have when I say fallen. I'm referring to moments, or a series of moments, in which we are massively challenged the weight of which forces us to fall, physically or emotionally. I'm fortunate to have built mechanisms to help me push back up no matter how difficult, and I'm less inclined to fall these days, but fall I have and on those occasions I've had to work incredibly hard to rise again.

I've learned on those occasions I've fallen, when it seemed I was looking at life from the bottom of a dark and deep pit, was that through helping others I was able to help myself. They say, the easiest way a person can increase self-esteem is to increase someone else's and whilst I'm not necessarily talking about self-esteem per se, the phrase applies in many situations - Helping others, helps oneself.

Over the years, working on that premise, I've been able to find light at the top of that dark pit I mentioned and, little by little, was able to move towards it. In giving of myself I received in turn and the more I did it the more readily darkness faded to light.

I've been lucky to have found an attitude and strategy that works for me and allows the ability to carry more and more weight. Negative experiences, adversity and having to work through them is a good teacher. I also have the ability to give of myself, a lot, and as the quote suggests above, I rise by lifting others.

I'm no saint, there is no doubt about that, and I'd never tried to present myself that way, but I do care.

I have integrity and honour and do what I do, have done what I have done, operating from the platform of that same integrity and honour. I can't help everyone, no one can, but I can try to help one person when they fall right? From there I can replicate that again and again and it doesn't matter how it's received, the help I mean. Accepted or not, help given is help given.