Looking Up

I was born looking up. Eleven people surrounded my crib. Five curious older siblings. Two tired parents. Four smiling grandparents.

I grew up looking up.

I was blessed with many role models and sources of inspiration. My first heroes made my life feel bigger, cooler, safer. They had a way of making me feel taller, not smaller.

I’ve spent my life around people who were older, wiser, more experienced, more successful, more disciplined, more courageous, and more creative. Instead of intimidating me, it gave me hope. I figured if growth was possible for them, maybe it was possible for me too.

The success of my older and wiser loved ones made me want to rise up and be a better person. It wasn’t about competition or putting anyone on a pedestal. I understood they simply arrived first.

They had stories, perspective, scars, and something to teach me. They were farther down the path than me. They had experiential wisdom. And, I looked up to them for everything.

When I was feeling down, someone would always remind me:

“Keep your chin up!”

I looked up for inspiration. I looked up for hope. I looked up to pray. I lifted up my chin to lift myself up.

All my best traits were shaped by the role models who came before me. And even though my parents and grandparents have passed, I still have their voice in my brain. I can hear them say:

“Be careful.”

“Everything’s going to be ok.”

“You’ve got this!”

Although I don’t talk with my siblings as often as I think of them, I still feel them with me through every season of my life. I know they are always there to lift me up, offer a kind word, extend a helping hand, and propel me upward. And, I am there for them.

We celebrate accomplishments, and we are honest about our flaws. Even when my siblings roll their eyes, shake their heads, and mutter something under their breath, I know an occasional slap-down is intended as a boost-up to rise-up. That’s the thing about great role models. They’re human. They’re less than perfect. They only want me to be the best version of me.

We don’t need perfect heroes. We need people to remind us of what’s possible. We need people to remind us to look up.

My neuroscientist friend recently taught me:

The physical act of looking up releases feel-good hormones. Our posture changes. Our breathing becomes deeper. Our optic nerves and neck muscles signal a release of oxytocin and dopamine.

The simple act of looking up makes the tough times more bearable. Our bodies understand what our heart needs. A lift of the chin lifts our spirits.

Since my early days on this planet, I’ve expanded my circle of inspiring humans to include role models of all ages. I am grateful for my younger siblings and all younger ones in my life. I find inspiration everywhere I look. We all deserve to be surrounded by people we admire.

Pause for a moment and look up at your own circle of inspiring humans.

Who makes you want to be better?

Who makes you want to create more, serve more, love more, believe more?

Who lifts your chin instead of lowering your eyes?

We become what we repeatedly look toward. Looking up reminds us we are not walking alone.