The Arena

I'm posting one of my favorite quotes below - one that I used to have printed out and taped to my computer monitor so that I could see it each and every day:

“It's not the critic who counts. It's not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled. Credit belongs to the man who really was in the arena, his face marred by dust, sweat, and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs to come short and short again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming. It is the man who actually strives to do the deeds, who knows the great enthusiasm and knows the great devotion, who spends himself on a worthy cause, who at best, knows in the end the triumph of great achievement. And, who at worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and cruel souls who know neither victory nor defeat.”

― Theodore Roosevelt

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Wow!  What a powerful, powerful quote!!!

The world abounds with critics - people who sit back and criticize everything. You've done it and I have too.  Take, for example, the "Monday Morning Quarterbacks" who dissect their team's performance from the game on the previous Saturday or Sunday (guilty as charged!).  Although we may have played football in the past, many of us are not in physical condition to play the game, or do not possess the physical or mental gifts to play the game, or cannot comprehend the incredible work and time commitment goes into playing the game.  And yet we criticize, sometimes making personal attacks.

It is easy to criticize.  It doesn't take any practice, or work, or risk.  That is not to say that all criticism is not justified, quite the contrary.  I think it is the spirit of the criticism that is noteworthy.  If it is constructive criticism meant to offer suggestions to better the person and build them up, then it is crucial, but we should ensure that our motives are right and our delivery is kind and thoughtful.  If the criticism is just meant to tear someone down, we should keep it to ourselves.

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But the main point of President Roosevelt's quote is not addressing the critic, but the participant - the warrior, the person who has risked it all, the person in the arena that is trying valiantly.  I like the way he says that this person may come up short again and again.  In fact, this person may NEVER succeed, BUT at least he tried, he risked, he dared...

Sometimes we plant crops and they don't grow or they are decimated by weather, pests, or disease. Sometimes we raise kids and they make decisions or do things that we wish they wouldn't have done. Sometimes we devote ourselves to some worthy cause, dream, purpose or goal - and we fail.  And we see people who picked up on that same dream and they run with it and succeed.  Why?  Why does this happen? I don't know.

There are some great life lessons in that quote - lessons that encourage you to get out of bed each morning and keep trying, keep dreaming, and keep reaching for your goals.  Get off the couch and get into the arena!

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“It is better to try and to fail than to fail to try and forever experience the inestimable loss of what might have been.”

― -Unknown_