I've always been pretty independent, no matter what situation:

“I’ve always been pretty independent, no matter what situation: good, bad, ugly, happy, sad. I dig deep, and I get over it.” — thus spoke Mel B, and her words resound with the strength of one who has walked through storms and sunshine alike, and who has refused to let either break her spirit. In them we hear not only the cry of resilience, but the philosophy of endurance: that no matter the trial, the soul that turns inward to find its core will rise again.

The word independent here is the cornerstone. It does not mean isolation, nor a life without connection, but rather the refusal to be enslaved by circumstance. In times of good, when praise and fortune abound, independence guards against vanity. In times of bad, when sorrow presses down, it gives strength to endure. In the ugly moments, when life reveals its harshest truths, independence shields dignity. And in both happy and sad seasons, it allows one to stand upright, unmoved by extremes, grounded in self.

This strength is not passive. Mel B declares: “I dig deep.” To dig deep is to search beneath the surface, to reach the inner wellspring of courage, wisdom, and persistence that every human being carries but few dare to touch. It is to confront fear, loss, and disappointment without fleeing, and to mine from them the resources needed to continue. And when she says, “I get over it,” she does not mean she forgets, but that she refuses to remain chained to wounds. She rises, scarred perhaps, but unbroken.

The ancients knew this path. Consider Odysseus, wandering for twenty years through the good, the bad, the ugly. He faced the joy of reunion and the sorrow of loss, the temptation of rest and the agony of exile. Yet through each trial, he remained independent of despair, always digging deep into his cunning, his will, his longing for home. Like Mel B, Odysseus knew that life would bring all seasons, and the measure of a soul was not in what befell them, but in how they rose again.

The origin of this wisdom is found in hardship itself. To speak of getting over trials is not to boast of an easy life, but to reveal the discipline of endurance. Mel B’s words are born from a world that gave her both triumph and struggle, fame and pain. In naming the good and the sad, the ugly and the happy, she acknowledges the fullness of life. No one escapes these opposites; the only choice is whether to bend or to stand.

The lesson is clear: cultivate the strength to be independent in spirit. Do not let fortune intoxicate you, nor sorrow enslave you. When life wounds you, do not remain lying in the dust—dig deep, find your inner strength, and rise. To live is to face all seasons, and to endure them is the mark of wisdom. The one who rises from sadness with resilience, and from joy with humility, is unshakable.

Practical action follows: when you encounter hardship, pause before despair. Ask yourself, “What lies within me that I have not yet used?” Seek the hidden strength of memory, discipline, and faith. When fortune smiles, guard your independence so that success does not own you. When ugliness comes, let it not rob your dignity. And when joy arrives, embrace it without forgetting that sorrow too will return. In this balance lies freedom.

Thus Mel B’s words stand as both confession and counsel: “I’ve always been pretty independent… I dig deep, and I get over it.” This is no mere boast but a teaching. Life will give you the good, the bad, the ugly, the happy, and the sad. But if you remain steadfast, if you seek strength within and rise again, then no storm will destroy you. For the spirit that digs deep is the spirit that endures, and the one who endures becomes unconquerable.