6 Nov 2023
The Ten Steps of Grief: moving through dark times to hope
Victory Boyd, a renowned musician, recently shared insights into her journey of music, faith, and personal growth during an intimate conversation with Muyiwa.
In the discussion, Victory recounted her humble beginnings in Detroit. She was born into a family of devout Christians who sought to provide young people with positive alternatives to the city's drug and gang scene. Victory’s parents set up a choir for children, offering them an opportunity to excel in music and foster camaraderie.Victory joined the choir at the tender age of four, marking the start of her musical career. Her siblings also joined, and their parents expanded it into a statewide choir that travelled across different cities in Michigan to rehearse with kids from various parts.As Victory put it, "I like to measure my life by lifetimes." Her life has been marked by notable phases or "lifetimes", from singing in choirs in Detroit to busking in Central Park, and finally stepping into the limelight with Roc Nation.
Here are 10 steps to help you move from a place of despair towards seeing the beginning of a new thing:
1. Acknowledge the Darkness: Recognize your current situation and allow yourself to feel the depth of your pain. It's okay to grieve; it's a part of healing.2. Seek Comfort: During times of mourning, allow yourself to be comforted. This could come through friends, family, or your faith.3. Cultivate Faith: Despite the circumstances, maintain faith in a higher power or purpose.4. Embrace Hope: Keep your hope anchored in the promise of glory, even when faced with overwhelming darkness.5. Surrender Control: You don’t need to control how dark things can get; focus instead on where you place your faith.6. Trust in Resilience: Trust that you have the strength and resilience to overcome your hardships.7. Believe in Triumph: Believe that there is an authority beyond ourselves that has triumphed over all forms of darkness and despair.8. Recognize Glory: Understand that every tragedy or dark period creates an opportunity for greater glory to be revealed.9. Embrace New Beginnings: Believe that each day brings a new chance for renewal and growth.10. Seek Personal Growth: Use your challenges as stepping stones towards personal growth and transformation.For anyone engulfed in grief or feeling lost in darkness, Victory's message is clear – you don't need to control how dark things get; you need to control where you place your faith. It's about trusting in something greater than oneself – trusting that even in our darkest moments, there is an authority beyond ourselves that has triumphed over all forms of darkness. You can watch the insightful conversation with Victory and Muyiwa here.
Written by Nathana Afonso