Resurgam /reɪˈsəːɡam, rɛˈsəːɡam/
Latin 1. I shall rise again.
Probably one of the toughest barriers about becoming someone you always dreamt of being is the struggle with the self. It is sad, yet sarcastically funny, how our biggest enemy to our success is, you guessed it, ourselves.
Changing a lifestyle routine that was the same for over two decades proved to be challenging. My body and mind have been accustomed to certain limitations that I never bothered poking at; we all want to live a comfortable life, don’t we?
Limitations, however, are there for a reason. They are the biological epitome of an alarm system that lets us know “Hey, you! After this point, we don’t know what’s coming!”
Effective, yes. But, alas, limiting to progression. To be successful meant to constantly exceed those limitations, constantly challenge how much beating my body and mind can endure, constantly struggle with what I like to call “the dip.”
The dip is when our body, mind, or both have been challenged hard enough and long enough until the point of breakdown. Be it muscle stress, mental fatigue, or hormonal imbalances, any of those are enough to hinder any progression we’re aiming at. Eventually, not only do I feel like I’m failing myself by not progressing, but I also feel like I’m regressing in a short period of time.
Here lies the most important step in this quest: rising again. It is absolutely and fundamentally crucial to do whatever it takes to rise up after a dip. What’s the worst part? Dips never stop.
Whenever I’m experiencing a dip, I have to fight every physical pain telling me to stop, else I will hurt myself; every mental thought telling me I am not good enough, that I was not born for this; every hormonal imbalance causing the heightening and reduction of stimuli reactions. I have to fight what feels so real at the moment, holding in my hand an idea that stands against every sensation and perception I’m experiencing. I have to fight a reality that preaches my failure — reciting: I can do this.
“vincit qui se vincit”
— Publilius Syrus
He conquers who conquers himself (Syrus). This is the only way, my dear friends. Our emotional and physical dips are natural. Gradual progression cannot exist without the occasional dip coupled with the rise. It takes you one dip without rising up again to be a failure, but it takes you multiple never-ending dips, rising up every single time, to be successful. Dips will forever be part of our living journey, you make yourself by choosing how to deal — or not — with them.
If you would like to start being able to deal with dips, here are a few things to keep in mind:
- Acceptance. The first and foremost step is accepting reality. Denial will not change the inevitable. Choosing to stare reality in the face will create autonomy in your life.
- Change of attitude. When a dip hits, the attitude with which you welcome it is important. Resentment will only make the same goal more difficult to achieve.
- Remembering: every dip is an opportunity to rise, an opportunity to prove yourself, an opportunity to experience the sense of gratitude that encompasses decisive hard work in the face of negative stimuli.
- Humility. After one or many successful rises from dips, it is easy for one to fall into a hubristic character of empowerment. Humble your thoughts, remind them that while every dip presents an opportunity, every rise is a step closer towards the next dip.
If you’ve also been through your own journey, I would love to hear your stories!
