Chin Up

(Flickr photo: grulla, by kekremsi)

You don’t feel like flying today, you say? You’re feeling life’s weight? If I say, “Chin up,” it may piss you off. It sounds trite, as though I expect you to down a placebo. Well, listen up.

You can’t fly without sticking your neck out.

Watch a bird in the moment before lifting off: head up, neck extended, chin high.

Don’t fold in on yourself in response to whatever heaviness life dishes out. Change your perspective through the tiny, simple step of raising your chin a fraction. If your chin resists, start by raising your eyes. Then untuck your chin from your chest. Then, millimetre by millimetre, crank it up.

Your lifted head sees further.

Looking down, all you see is the next shuffling step. A lifted head aligns your body, straightens your spine, improves your weight-bearing capability, allows your vision to find the horizon.

Rough times make big change feel far out of reach. So don’t reach that far. Reach one millimetre. Reach up. The rest will follow.

Inspire yourself. Lead with your chin.

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Grace Kerina founded www.HighlySensitivePower.com to provide tools and encouragement to empower sensitivity, including the Healthy Boundaries Handbook and the Creativity Prompts Compendium. You can reach her at grace@highlysensitivepower.com.