I was recently introduced to the ever famous quote by Theodore Roosevelt, “The Man in the Arena”. I also realized that they have updated this to fit the 21st century for, “The Woman in the Arena”. Wow, this was music to my ears and warmth to my heart. This quote is so powerful to me because it is so relatable to how I feel in my world right now. I want to share this with you so you can reap the benefits…

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man/woman who points out how the strong stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man/woman 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/herself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he/she fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his/her place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”

Theodore Roosevelt, “The Man in the Arena”, 1910

Teddy Roosevelt spoke, “The Man in the Arena” when giving a speech at the Sorbonne in the Grand Amphitheater at the University of Paris on the Citizenship in a Republic. Teddy spoke these words over 100 years ago in regards to politics. Well, I’m a Millennial and certainly not a politician. AND these words are true to my life too.

I think that we all have unique arenas. Maybe your arena looks like a classroom with eager students, a home with energized children, a hospital with sick patients, a stay-at-home job with little connection and lots of isolation, a restaurant with hungry customers, a clinic with individuals eager to get their vaccines, a bank with financially struggling clients, a Church with little turn-out, a mind with never-ending anxiety, a heart with grief, a body with disease. All of our arenas look different. AND we all fight in an arena day in and day out. Some of our fights feel victorious. But let’s be honest, most of our fights feel like defeats. And according to Teddy, the most important thing is not if we win or lose, it is if we keep getting up and fighting again and again. Success is not about winning, it’s about trying again next time.

We are all experiencing our own life stressors. Covid has hit all of our lives in some way and it sure feels like fighting in an arena every day. I invite you to reflect on this powerful quote and see how it may apply to your life. I know this quote inspires me to keep going. I am motivated to keep fighting my fight every day because “I know great enthusiasms, the great devotions; I spend myself in a worthy cause; I know in the end the triumph of high achievement…”.

Check-out the Self-Affirmations Tab for more inspiration on this topic.