By Nelly Vee
There’s a moment on The Oprah Winfrey Show where T. D. Jakes delivers a message that doesn’t just inspire… it demands alignment.
He talks about a giraffe and a turtle. Same space. Different vision.
The turtle stays low, focused on what’s directly in front of it. The giraffe moves from elevation, seeing further and accessing more.
That difference in perspective doesn’t just shape opportunity. It shapes reaction.
Because when you rise, when you start building something meaningful, visible, and intentional, you don’t just attract opportunity. You attract attention.
And attention brings everything with it. Support, curiosity, and resistance.
When Growth Shakes the Tree
Growth has a way of shaking your tree.
When you elevate and move with purpose, your environment gets tested. People get tested. Alignment gets tested.
And just like a tree being shaken, not everything is meant to stay attached.
Some relationships were seasonal. Some support was conditional. Some people were only comfortable with the version of you that didn’t stretch them.
So when the shaking starts, they fall away.
That’s not loss. That’s pruning.
Pruning removes what can’t sustain where you’re going so what remains can grow stronger.
The Rocket Principle
A rocket doesn’t reach space carrying everything it started with.
As it ascends, pieces fall away. Not because they failed, but because they’ve served their purpose.
Those boosters were necessary for liftoff, but they’re not built for orbit.
That’s how growth works.
Some people help you launch. Few are meant to travel with you into the next level.
If you try to hold on to everything, you slow down your ascent.
Where Online Bullying Fits In
Now bring this into the digital world.
You start doing something positive. You’re building. You’re consistent. You’re focused.
Then come the comments, the critiques, the negativity.
That’s not random. That’s the shaking.
Some people see your movement and feel inspired. Others feel threatened. Your growth highlights what they haven’t addressed within themselves.
So they try to create noise, disrupt your rhythm, and pull you into spaces that don’t match your level.
They’re responding from where they are.
But you have to decide where you operate from.
Do We Respond?
Responding has its place. Silence has its power.
Respond when: you need to correct misinformation, protect your brand, or establish boundaries.
Pros: You control your narrative, demonstrate leadership, and turn friction into influence.
Cons: You risk feeding distractions, amplifying negativity, and draining your energy.
Stay silent when: the intent is provocation, the engagement adds no value, or your focus matters more.
Pros: You protect your energy, stay aligned, and maintain authority.
Cons: Silence can be misunderstood, and misinformation may linger.
The Real Strategy
You’re not here to carry everything or convince everyone. You’re here to grow.
Let the tree shake. Let what’s not aligned fall away. Let the rocket release what it no longer needs.
And stay elevated like you were built to.
Because holding on to everything will cost you your altitude.
So here’s the question: Do we respond to every voice trying to pull us down, or do we trust the process enough to let the shaking, pruning, and separation do what they were designed to do?
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