In the arena | Life Series

I was making use of the quiet time to take stock of my growth journey – personal and professional.

Read time: about a min.

My list was both encouraging and much to be desired. It was filled with both highlights and lowlights. Things that I did well, but could and should do better. And some things needed some more work. I stretched myself on some and struggled on others. I made significant progress on most commitments but did not finish some.

Strange as it may sound, looking back in time, I remembered the lowlights more vividly than my successes as though they were serving as a reminder to do better – At least that’s what I would like to believe.

That could dampen ones’ spirit, but thankfully, by sheer chance, I came across some beautiful words in Theodore Roosevelt’s “The Man in the Arena” speech that perfectly expresses the situation.

“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.”

Let our misdeeds illuminate our path and not burn the bridges.
Let our mistakes be a shield and not a burden weighing us down.
Let our slides be stepping stones to getting to our purposes in life.
Let our lapses be our teacher and guide.
Let our errors be a reminder that we are fallible too, and be patient with others.
Let our stumbles remind us that we are humans.
Let our slips make us humble.

Despite the slippages, aren’t we glad we were in the arena and taking our chances? We won some and lost some, but we did what we had to.

Thank you for sharing some of your precious time with me each week.

Leave a comment if you liked it. 

With gratitude, until next week. 

Razak
CommonInterest