Prose From the Soul: Wake Up!

So what is this anyway?
A mindset? A mood?
An inclination or intention?
Is this an attitude?
Or, is this a disposition
or is it some kind of predominant tendency?
Either way, what is it
that dictates or determines whether we give
in or move ahead?

We can scream for blood, I swear
and sometimes, we can go through walls
or run the world twice over;
but other times, there’s a pause or a fear.
Other times, there’s a supposed weakness
or vulnerability; whereas some people stall
and other people move on.

But why?
What is it that separates us?
Is the answer simply this:
It’s a mindset to either win or lose,
succeed or fail or to overcome
regardless of the outcomes
when morning comes,
you get up and out of bed,
no matter what.

The idea is
to stand up when you can’t
or to move when you don’t have the energy;
to tolerate, to endure and to withstand,
to hold out or to hold against
and to keep moving without yielding;
relentlessly, no matter what the fall is
you get up again,
even if you know you’re going to fall once more

What differentiates us?
What makes us stand out
in the line of muted faces?
What shines among us
to be brighter than the same
mundane surroundings?

What gives us the edge?
What makes us go, move and continue,
even if it hurts?
Because, even if it hurts,
is it the pain we feel or is it more
that we anticipate the pain
or the shame of giving up?

Is it that we anticipate regret
for not standing up for ourselves
or for not choosing to be counted
or included?

Is it the flame that burns or
is it the source that keeps this alive,
which is actually the real question.
How do we do more than “just” maintain?
How do we find it within ourselves
to get up and move, harder, faster
and stronger with each and every step?

If the goal is to become invulnerable
or to be anti-fragile
and to evolve as we improve,
how do we manifest this (like a shield)
and regulate our emotional theories
by replacing them with logic and strategy?

What do we have to do
to keep ownership of our lives
instead of forfeiting them away
to fear?

What is it that makes someone brave
and someone else a coward?
Is this innate or
would it be possible to say
there is a hero inside,
which has yet to be defined and thus,
without definition, is it safe to say
that none of us know how to feel alive?

Now, I’ll grant you that
we might know how to survive
or get by
or hide in the crowd
or stay amongst the same
and live without intrusion
or challenge.
We might understand the rules of the trades
or the parameters of living unnoticed
and
we might understand the rules of engagement;
but, how many of us know what it means
to truly be alive;
to reach hard, fast and never surrender ?
How many of us can say that we have what it takes
to keep going in the face of adversity
until we reach our destination?

So, what is it, a mindset?

Is this what makes us different?
Is it an angle or a vantage point?
Is this a sign or superior intelligence?
Or, is this simply a fact
that some people never quit
and most people give up
before they even started.

So, if this is a mindset,
which one is it?
Is this a fixed mindset
or a biased one?
Is this isolated to limited thinking
or is this something genetic; in which case,
is this a learned mindset
that has been passed down by generations
of limitations (or dysfunction)?

Or, is the power to succeed and achieve
a result?
Is this part of our personal breeding
to nurture and empower a growing mindset;
nurtured even in adversity?
Could it be –
this is a mental status that always looks
to see the growth, regardless of the falls
and no matter what happens;
is this the part of the mind
that understands the secret of endurance?
Since this part of us has learned to endure,
and to do so by any means;
is this what separates us from those who “do”
and those who “don’t?”

I have seen people build things
that go beyond comparison.
I have watched teams break records
and then come back for more,
only to do it again.

I have watched people come from behind.
I have seen people come from homelessness
to housing or from unemployed
to employed and yes,
I’ve watched people go from poor
to exceptionally wealthy.
And dare I say it, I have seen the mighty fall.
I have seen the wealthy crumble,
which is not to say
this was because of a dollar amount.

No, this was because life decided
to show up at their door
and regardless of their bank accounts –
the words “cancer” or “mental illness”
and “depression” does not discriminate
(even if we do).

I have seen the mighty fall
and the meek rise from the ashes.
And sure, I’ve fallen.
I have fallen more than once.
In fact, I have fallen more than I can count
and sometimes, (like now)
it still seems like I’m falling.

But that’s okay 

I don’t mind the threat of hitting the ground.
Besides, we already know each other
on a personal level.
It’s not the fall as much or even the pain –
the problem we face is the constant judgment;
it’s the predicament of the mind, right?

The problem is the ongoing judgment
and the continuous mental battles
that we bring upon ourselves.
So dammit all, I say.
It’s time to wake up

I can’t say there won’t be damages.
But I can say that nothing happens
if nothing happens. So, here it is
Monday morning!
It’s time to get up
Hope for peace
Hope for a safe travel
Hope for the best but remember,
the best comes for those
who do the best for themselves.

So, to hell with our limitations.
It’s time to lace up our boots
and prepare for whatever comes our way.