Get Up Anyway: This Ain’t New to Us!
Navigators, if you’ve been watching the news lately…
scrolling…
processing…
trying not to spiral…
I see you.
It feels heavy right now. Actually, it IS heavy right now! Policies shifting. Narratives twisting. Hard-won progress questioned. The air feels tense in ways that are both familiar and exhausting. It feels like we are constantly being asked to defend our right to occupy spaces we already built. And yet, here we are. Still building. Still dreaming. Still creating. Because one thing I know to be true is, our ability to “get up anyway” ain’t new to us.
The Lineage of the Lift
Black resilience did not begin in 2026. It didn’t begin with hashtags, or corporate DEI initiatives, or the moments when the world finally decided to pay attention. It has always been the baseline.
Our ancestors got up in systems that weren’t just "unfair"—they were openly hostile. They got up without legal protection, without venture capital, and without the luxury of a safety net. They got up when the odds weren't just stacked against them; the odds were welded into the very foundation of the floor.
And they built anyway.
They didn't just build for survival; they built for excellence. They built:
Systems: Schools and mutual aid societies when the doors were shut.
Economy: Businesses and districts that thrived out of thin air.
Spirit: Churches, movements, and a culture so potent it became the world’s heartbeat.
Innovation: Strategy and style that transformed how humanity moves.
So when we talk about “getting up” today, I’m not selling you motivational hype. I’m reminding you of your lineage. I’m talking about a standard of resilience that is written into your DNA.
The New Definition of Resilience
For too long, we’ve been told that being "strong" means carrying the weight of the world without breaking a sweat. We’ve been told that "getting up anyway" means ignoring the toll it takes on our bodies and minds. Getting up anyway does not mean:
Pretending you’re not exhausted.
Ignoring your mental health for the sake of the "grind."
Pushing through just to prove your worth to people who don't see it.
Romanticizing the struggle as if the hardship is the point.
Resilience in 2026 looks like strategy. It looks like:
Pivoting without apologizing: Knowing when a path is blocked and finding the side door.
Resting without guilt: Understanding that a rested mind is a dangerous weapon.
Building strategically: Moving with intention rather than reacting to every headline.
Choosing sustainability: Moving out of "survival mode" and into "legacy mode."
You Aren’t Starting from Zero
As entrepreneurs, creatives, and builders, we are still navigating systems that weren’t designed with us in mind. That hasn’t changed. But what has changed is how we move within them.
We’re not just surviving anymore. We’re structuring. We’re scaling. We’re owning.
When the funding doesn’t come through, when the algorithm hides your work, or when you question whether you have the gas left to keep going, remember this:
You don’t start from zero. You start from history. You start from strategy. You start from community. You start from the knowledge that a setback is just data for your next move. The fall does not get the final word because the floor belongs to you.
The Legacy of Your Presence
As we honor Black History, don’t just read the stories of the past. Recognize yourself in them.
Your consistency? That’s legacy. Your pivot? That’s legacy. Your refusal to let your vision be dimmed by the current climate? That is legacy in real-time.
Get up anyway.
Not because you’re forced to, and not because you’re numb to the weight of the world. Get up because you understand that your business, your art, and your voice are part of a continuum that cannot be broken. We’ve done "hard" before. We’ve done "underestimated" before. And we are still here. So take a breath. Adjust your crown. Rework your plan. Protect your peace.
And build anyway.
Before You Go…
Pause for a second. Where have you had to get up anyway this year, not in theory, but in real life? Name it. Honor it. Own it. Know that you’re not just part of the story, you’re shaping it. Next up, we’re talking about what it really means to be legacy in motion. Not someday, not in hindsight, but RIGHT NOW.
Stay connected with here on The Digital Compass. You’re not just building a business, you’re building history, and it’s beautiful to see.
Until next time,
~ Sue
