When life knocks you down, stay down until you figure the best way to pull yourself up.

When life knocks you down — and trust me, it will — everyone loves to shout, “Get back up! Keep moving! Power through!” as if resilience is some kind of Olympic sport where style points are awarded for how fast you bounce.

But here’s the truth I’ve learned the hard way: Sometimes the smartest, strongest thing you can do is just… stay down for a minute.

Not in defeat. Not in self-pity. But in strategy.

See, when I fall — and with my cerebral palsy gait, I’ve literally had years of practice — there’s this moment when I’m on the ground and everything gets quiet. And in that space, I get to choose: Do I pop up fast because the world expects it, or do I pause long enough to figure out how I want to rise?

That pause is power.

When you stay down long enough to gather information, catch your breath, check your wounds, and map out your next move, you’re not being weak — you’re being wise. You’re honoring the actual human experience of being knocked flat, instead of pretending you’re some kind of invincible cartoon superhero who feels no pain.

And here’s the plot twist: Every time I’ve stayed down long enough to think, I’ve stood up stronger, smarter, and more determined than the version of me who fell.

Life isn’t about how quickly you get up. It’s about how intentionally you rise.

So the next time life smacks you to the floor — stay down. Not forever. Not even for long. Just long enough to figure out the best, boldest, truest way to pull yourself back up.

That’s how you build a life with grit, grace, and a whole lot of stubborn courage.

And trust me… that combination can move mountains.