To start this post, my condolences to Mr. Chadwick Boseman’s family and so many others who’ve lost a loved one to cancer.

My wife lived with cancer. I understand the spiritual, emotional, mental, and physical trauma cancer causes.

I didn’t know much about Chadwick Boseman‘s life before his passing a few days ago. I knew he was a great actor who starred in great movies; that was it. But, what I’ve recently learned about Chadwick Bozeman moved me write is reflection.

I learned he lived a life of growth—a life to grow by. The way he carried himself in the last four years of his life, specifically, is a curriculum on how to grow beyond bounds.

I will discuss three growth principles taken from God’s masterpiece of a human being, Chadwick Boseman. There’s much to learn from his life.

Dignity

Boseman lost a job because of his dignity. Dignity is to have self-honor and self-respect. He challenged the stereotypes of his role in a TV show and got fired for it. He respected his culture and himself so much he would not play a role spreading a negative stereotype which demeaned himself and his culture. Read more of the story on Insider.com.

Chadwick Boseman carried himself with dignity and class. He reminds me of what it means to rise above external circumstances through palpable self-respect and self-honor; dignity. Boseman’s life is the model of dignity. When you look at him on or off the big screen, you’ll notice a man who had internal stillness and silence which shows up in his behaviors. Dignity effervescent off his person. His way of being is worth cultivating. Like Chadwick Boseman’s life, you and I can foster self respect and honor regardless of what others do or what the circumstances are.

Focus

His contribution within the last four years has shown a level of focus few have been able to top. Chadwick Boseman showed up to the big screen and depicted characters we will never forget. Some characters who slipped into the back of our collective memory have been brought to the forefront because of his amazing focus.

Some of our lives are scattered. We put our attention on a number of different projects and tasks and we don’t complete them. But epic tales live within us as long as we focus our attention and energies upon those things and decide to create. Chadwick Boseman decided to contribute to the world because of an unseen inner state, focus.

Responsibility

Four years ago Chadwick Boseman was diagnosed with colon cancer. There’s so many different ways that he could’ve taken this information that would’ve been legitimate and totally justified. He could’ve crawled up into a ball and wallowed in his diagnosis and ask the question, “Why me.” That would’ve been completely understandable, completely legitimate for him to have done. It would’ve been justified for him to stop all of his work and focus on himself, his treatments, and self-care. It would’ve been understandable if he stopped making movies and decided to live his life to satisfy himself, like checking off things on a bucket list. He could have given himself full time to traveling to see new landscapes, taste new flavors in food and drink, and visit family and friends to share a few more precious laughs and hugs. He could have focused on anything other than making movies. Instead, he chose, as far as I could tell, to focus on carrying himself, a black man, as one with self-respect and self-honor on movies.

He could’ve done all of this and and much more and been justified in those behaviors. After hearing his diagnoses he could have decided to do anything except act. He decided not to make excuses but take full responsibility for his life’s path. I’m sure he got help along the way but he had to garden his own life. He created movie after movie bringing to life characters, black male characters, reminding us of their importance in a society that opposed their efforts.

His growth into dignity, focus, and responsibility make him someone I’ll never forget.

The more I learn about Chadwick Boseman the more I have an infinite amount of respect for the man. I see him as a person who grew himself beyond his limitations by making the most out of what he had, while carrying himself with the upmost dignity for himself and his culture, living a focused life when it was easy to lose focus, and taking full responsibility for acting out his own script.

Chadwick Boseman gave us a template for growing beyond limitation. May each of us go beyond our current limits just as life taught.

Rest in power, Mr. Boseman. WAKANDA ✊🏾

Let’s continue to grow together on Twitter.