Episode #56 Story Time: The Story you Tell about You - Part 4
The first time I heard this famous quote from Teddy Roosevelt I was in Mr Barry's class in high school in 1991. He was an inspirational teacher to me and this quote connected with me on a deep level. There was a seed planted that day - and in 1995, it became the permanent "rule" for the filter of my life story.
"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat."
The beauty of a "rule" is that everything else is the exception, therefore it is discarded. My rule is simple, you're either IN the arena or you're not ...and IN is better no matter what.
Victory, defeat, pride, empowered, motivation, disappointment, shame, regret, passion, innovation, purpose, pain ...it all goes into the category, life in the arena and that makes is ALL worth it.
Want to unpack that for a little more clarity? - put in some earbuds and click play :)
