Rising After Every Fall

 

There are moments in my life that remind me why I keep pushing forward—why I stand back up every time I fall. Watching Ahtisa Manalo answer her final question at Miss Universe Philippines 2025 felt like one of those moments. She stumbled onstage, yet she rose, gracefully, powerfully, proving that resilience isn't about avoiding failure but embracing it.  

“Whenever I fall in life, I always make sure I come back stronger."

How many times have I experienced the same thing? The moments when I felt like I’d failed—when I struggled with self-doubt, when plans crumbled, when efforts weren’t enough. But there’s another kind of fall, the kind that leaves invisible bruises: the heartbreak that follows after giving everything, only to watch it slip away.  

I’ve given my whole self before—whether in friendships, relationships, or even professional dreams. I’ve poured my heart into things I believed in, people I trusted, moments that felt like they would last. And yet, there were times when instead of feeling fulfilled, I found myself staring at the wreckage of something that once held meaning. The weight of betrayal, the ache of unreciprocated effort, the silence where words once existed—they all carved themselves into my story.  

At times, I wondered if I should hold back. Maybe if I didn’t give too much, I wouldn’t hurt too much. Maybe if I didn’t try so hard, failure wouldn’t sting as deeply. But then I remember Ahtisa’s moment—not just her triumph, but the fact that she stood back up after falling. That’s what resilience is: choosing to rise, even when it would be easier to stay down.  

Like her, I carry memories of loss, of dreams interrupted, of lessons learned the hard way. But I also carry something else—the ability to keep moving forward, no matter how many times I have fallen. Strength isn’t just in perseverance, it’s in the courage to keep giving, keep hoping, keep believing, even when the past has given reasons not to.  

Because every fall is a chance to rise. And every heartbreak is proof that I loved deeply enough for it to hurt.