“The Man in the Arena”
“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 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.”
Theodore Roosevelt
“Citizenship in a Republic,” Speech at the Sorbonne, Paris, April 23, 1910
Back in 2014, I found “It’s not the critic who counts.” I don’t remember how I came across this part of his speech but it resonates powerfully with me. I love hard work and never back down from a good fight. I have fallen short, been defeated and ultimately, made stronger. I have no fear – my trust is in The Lord. {read the 23rd Psalm}
Theodore Roosevelt also said, “The poorest way to face life is to face it with a sneer…” We all sneer at times. That’s understandably so but, don’t face your days that way. Mom always told me to think positive and make it happen! Don’t be cold or timid; instead, count your blessings and smile. You may be the light and warmth someone really needs.
This is a great forum for encouragement, power and truth. You must have confidence in yourself to try something new and courage to fail. without failure you cant learn how to succeed. It’s not that you only live once, you die only once. You live everyday. Make the most of the time you have been blessed with.
Keep up the good work
Very inspirational, life will always throw something at you and you just have to fight it back in a positive way!