Artboard 3

Become a Member

Take the Free Passion & Purpose Challenge!

GET INVOLVED!

Join the Mastermind

STOP Saying These Phrases if Your Want to Grow Your Business

Watching Your Competition Won't Help You Grow

My Morning Routine for a Successful Workday

10 Business Tools to Transform your Productivity

podcast episodes

MOST downloaded

CHECK OUT OUR PODCAST!

I'm Kelly - the founder of She Is Fierce! and your host on our blog featuring stories and wisdom from fierce women all over the world! 

Fierce Living

Flaunt Your Wings and Ascend!

< back to blog home

Flaunt Your Wings and Ascend!

 

Since I was a little girl, during moments of failure, hopelessness, heartache, or doubt, my mother would refer to the fable, The Eagle and the Chicken – a story about being who you are meant to be despite situations that limit the understanding of your potential or the crowd surrounding you. Almost 24 years later and I still hear about how the eagle clucked along with chickens unaware that he was essentially the king of the sky – a majestic beast capable of hunting creatures much larger than the one he sought to be. Even after realizing his potential, he feared extending the very wings meant to make him soar far into a place chickens can only dream.

My mother, a woman that is encircled by what it seems to be a cast iron shell allows for none of the emotions listed above. If so, she says, “It best be short-lived.”

I know what you’re thinking – sounds a bit discordant, maybe a tad unsympathetic. And if I tell you she is a single mother of four and a full-time, self-employed business owner with little time for herself, you may conclude she is jaded – exhausted by the cards she’s been dealt, tainted by a man’s inability to recognize her worth or perhaps her own incapacity to treasure her differences. Wrong. She is independent in her career, deeply devoted to her family, generous with her success, and confident in her demeanor. She knows exactly what it means to be completely self-loving – to be authentic from the inside out – to be, well, her, the rawest and most natural being stitched with everything it means to be extraordinary.

But this transformation didn’t come easy. Her resilience and self-assurance was not handed to her like trinkets from wealthy parents but more like The Purple Heart granted by the president after combat.  She has indeed fallen, been bruised and fractured, yet it is from that she rises, heals, and infuses into someone better than she was before. After all, cracked does not mean broken, and even then broken does not mean incapacitated but rather ready for repair, improvement, and regeneration. So it is exactly that in which she hopes to prevent me from enduring because like any mother the idea of your children misplacing their dignity, misusing their qualities or losing sight of who they are is tremendously daunting whether it is self-inflicted or I suppose influenced by…chickens.

She’ll say things like, “Your heart is too soft,” “Don’t let someone have this much power over you.” “If you don’t learn to love yourself first, you will never love another.” “I don’t want to see your eyes that way, swollen and filled with tears intended by some selfish, undeserving boy, you’re better than that…toughen up” (after finally cutting ties with my high school boyfriend, you know, the boy you are convinced you have to marry just to fit the novel – absolutely irrational and completely imprudent).  Or my favorite, “I didn’t know I raised such a stupid girl.” But in the moment it doesn’t matter, right? She can present prince charming but the tears are still crucial.

After all, there is an importance in experiencing failure, hopelessness, heartache or doubt as it is well known that without these feelings we couldn’t fully appreciate moments of success, happiness, love or buoyancy. But I understand her rebuttal as it is also indisputable that dwelling in any pool of negativity will indeed anchor you from ever reaching a higher level of self-fulfillment. Even worse, like my mother would say, “Sulking will leave your spirit starved from the nourishment needed to sustain strong physical, emotional and mental health.” So know where to draw the line.

Now, I know you’re sitting there debating whether or not you’ve been living the life of a chicken or if you’ve mastered your royalty. Either way, whether it is taking a hammer to your outer shell and embracing what lies beneath or learning to stop allowing the expectations and principles of others monitor your choices, The Eagle and the Chicken is a parable that promotes individualism. It encourages you to recognize your value, to think for yourself, to live life without succumbing to settlement, to avoid cheating yourself of the many talents you were gifted simply because they differ from the aptitudes of those around you, and more importantly, to not let others define the purpose behind your existence in turn dictate the direction you will fly.

And of course, it goes against human nature to live without fear or the ability to feel profoundly, but oftentimes we let those reservations and emotions push us towards losing sight of who we really are and that is the point my mother has tried to make over and over again – to withhold yourself from creating borders and boundaries when it comes to unleashing your inner-self or fulfilling your innate talents. You are better than that boy who walked away, stronger than the girls who called you names, above abusers, bullies, jealousy, and negativity, tougher than the words of those who tell you that you can’t or that you’re not good enough, smarter than any tests you feel intimidated by, qualified for any job, and deserving of all the goodness this world has to offer. Once you unclip the ties and overcome any fears caging your essence, you must spread your natural-born wings and fly.

Below is a poem my mother recently wrote me:

 

When life becomes a carpet

That carries you away

You’ll meet a lot of angels

They’ll help you find your way

Some of them may stay with you

And others not for long

The years will seem to please you

Just because you’re feeling strong

 

There may be times where you’re surrounded

by birds that cannot fly

They’ll tie your wings and tell you

It’s a waste of time to try

 

But you were born an eagle so

Continue on your way

Soar your flying carpet

Do not hesitate to stay

 

Remember this each day you lay

Your head upon a stone

Your heart is yours to carry

And to bury all alone

 

Time winks its eye every day it goes by

Wrapping itself in each minute

The world a much better place

Where you are

Simply because

You breathe in it

 


 

Laila Sadat, She is Fierce! Contributor

Laila Sadat

Laila Sadat is a soulful and rambunctious woman with a heart of gold. She is a dreamer, an advocate for humanity, a lover of poetry, and an art enthusiast. Laila’s heart resonates with humanitarian work, traveling, and Mediterranean food! Her goal is to achieve an M.A. in Journalism where through her writing, she hopes to impact the world around her.

Connect with Laila… Tumblr, LinkedIn

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.