The Man in the Arena
On April 23rd 1910, Theodore Roosevelt gave a speech at the Sorbonne in Paris titled the Citizenship of the Republic. In that speech there was one memorable passage that has continued to be a source of inspiration and has stood the test of time for more than 100 years...we refer to it now as "The Man in the Arena":
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 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 up 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 Arena" has traditionally been used for centuries as a platform to showcase an array of different events from sporting contests to musical performances and theater to rodeo's and bullfights. Maybe the most famous "Arena" of them all, the Coliseum, built around 80AD in Rome was the mecca for gladiatorial contests and could hold up to 80,000 spectators! This oval space has given many men and women the opportunity to put their talents on display and live into their greatness!
While many of us may not get to perform in front of 80,000 spectators, we do still have our own stage that we perform on every single day - The Arena of Life! With that we also have the opportunity to put our own talents on display to the world and live into our greatness. Yet many people will choose not to...
FEAR is what holds people back:
- The fear of failure
- The fear of being let down
- The fear of being rejected
- The fear of not being enough
Because of this fear, many people will instead settle for a place of comfort...a place where if you never really try then you will never have to suffer. The issue with that is this:
- With no risk comes no reward
- With no failure comes no success
- With no defeat comes no victory
Gladiators that went to battle in the Coliseum Arena knew this. They entered the Arena knowing all the possible outcomes still with the intention of pursuing what Roosevelt called "The Triumph of High Achievement".
What would your life look like if you woke up everyday with the intention of stepping into your own Arena of Life and pursuing the same Triumph of High Achievement (whatever that means to you in your life)?
What would your life look like if you chose to sit idly on the sideline watching life go by as that timid soul who was neither brave enough to know victory or defeat?
I encourage you to make the decision to dare greatly for a worthy cause; to be the Gladiator of your Arena and go forth valiantly in the pursuit of that which sets your soul on fire to create the life you are destined to lead!
I BELIEVE IN YOU!
Choose to make today a GREAT day and always choose to Live Life 2 The Max!
