Happy Sunday Everyone-
“Man in the Arena” has come across my radar 3X in the last week. I remember writing about it 4.5 years ago so went to look it up in my archives. Truth is, I like what I wrote back then enough to share it again. It feels like a very different environment 4.5 years ago but when I reread this, it could have been based on yesterday. It’s also a good reminder to me, like a journal, its healthy to go back and review what you’ve written down previously to make sure progress is being made.
Below is what I wrote in April of 2020-
Happy Sunday Everyone:
I genuinely hope this finds you doing well today, perhaps even great.
What do we all do to get out of a funk? I wish funks didn’t exist for me, but they do. One of my funk remedies is my e-folder of quotes from books, articles, a card someone may have written. Just gets me back on track and out of the “woe is me” mindset. So, about a month ago I went to my e-folder and found “Man in the Arena”, written by Theodore Roosevelt (if you’re bored and want a great read “the Rise of Theodore Roosevelt”). I think I’ve read “Man in the Arena” every day since, as a rally cry for myself during these crazy/challenging/fascinating times. I’ve listed it below.
“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.”
Perhaps why this is so engrained in my mind is timing. The moment I read this again 30 days ago I had picked up a phone call. The person on the other line was bitching and complaining, offering no solutions, with a negative attitude, during some nutty times, and all I could think about was “this person is the cold and timid soul”….and I don’t want to be the cold and timid soul.
The weak side of me wants to temper this down, to say “I know this isn’t really war, I know we’re not actually in the arena”, the bigger/better part of me says “yes we are”. We’re in our own arenas, it’s the arena of our lives, and we have choices as to what character we’re going to play. I’ve played both characters and I’m glad for it, because I know what they both feel like. We need our own real-life experiences to say, “I was a warrior here, I was a cold/timid soul here, do this, not that”.
Net net for me, do my best, give it all I can, stay positive, and let the chips fall where they may. Everything else is noise getting in the way. Keep that mindset all day and everything is possible.
Have a great rest of your Sunday!!