Welcome to poetry Friday.
Today I have picked an excerpt from one of my favourite speeches: The Man In The Arena from Theodore Roosevelt's speech titled "Citizenship in a Republic”. This speech inspired me a great deal as a young man.
"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.”
It’s a piece that I always refer back to as a useful reminder that leaders are the ones in the arena, not on the sidelines. The lessons that I take from these inspiring words are:
1) Courage Over Comfort
2) Resilience in the Face of Criticism
3) The Dignity of Effort and Failure
4) Commitment to Worthy Causes
Roosevelt’s words, from right back at 1910, still ring true today as leaders face an arena of challenges as they navigate a rapidly changing and increasingly demanding world.
Out of the lessons I take from these words, it's the Worthy Cause that lands most powerfully with me. I believe a worthy cause is the wellspring of energy that underpins our ability to strive.
As an exercise, as you reflect on these words take the opportunity to refresh your connection with your own personal worthy cause or leadership purpose.
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Have a great weekend, everyone!
