Man Up

"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 and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for 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 he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat."

Teddy Roosevelt - Citizenship in a Republic - Speech at the Sorbonne, Paris, April 23, 1910

I don’t know when I first saw these words, but they spoke to me from the very first time I read them.  I framed them and put them on the wall of my oldest son's bedroom.  I placed them on the wall of my office.  I posted them on my Facebook quotes.  These words are inspirational and challenging to me.

These words are true from so many aspects of life.  They apply in the corporate world.  When I was a young man, I was often counseled to take the risky jobs – the challenging ones.  I was not sure the advice was sound.  I saw any number of people who took the risky positions and failed – sometimes miserably.  It was not until I took a difficult position – one with a mix of impossible goals and difficult leadership problems – that I found out what I could accomplish.  I also found out what I could not accomplish.  Prior to being in the arena, I had been very critical of others who were struggling to lead.  Not afterwards.

These words apply in political life.  Though many of us are critics of our government leaders, I suspect we’d have a bit different perspective if we were the ones in their arena.  Those who have put their money, their reputations and their egos on the line to run for office tell me that the endeavor changes your perspective on politics.  They also tell me their opinion of what it takes does not always yield a better impression of government leaders.

I have found these words to be especially true of leading in volunteer organizations – particularly the church.  If you want to suffer criticism from others, attempt to serve God in a significant role in your local house of worship.  It is true of lay leadership positions and it is true of pastoral positions.  I never cease to be amazed at the suspicion with which some believers hold other believers.  There are always critics, and there are always temptations to criticize.  We each seem to believe we have a right to criticize when we participate in voluntary organizations.

Teddy Roosevelt had it right regarding critics.  I could support his words with Scripture, philosophy and experience, but for the purposes of this post, I’ll just let Teddy’s words stand as he wrote them.  It isn’t the critic who counts – the one who points out where the man in the arena struggles.  If you, from a position on the sidelines, are ever tempted to criticize someone who is in the arena, let me offer some advice:  hold your tongue until you experience the arena.  You will find a very different perspective there.  My father used to tell me that I shouldn't judge a man unless I walked a mile in his shoes.  Others' decisions don't seem so incomprehensible when you've faced what they face.

Teddy Roosevelt also had it right concerning entering the arena itself.  The arena is where life happens.  You can’t experience professional excellence without professional risk.  You’ll never feel more a part of your church or volunteer organization than when you commit to deeply participate in it.  You’ll never make a difference in your country without putting a significant part of yourself on the line.  You can't make a difference in your family without taking some risk.  

In the final analysis, I’m with Teddy. If you ever enter the arena, you will err.  You could go down in miserable failure.  That is the risk.  Considering that possibility, I still never want to be counted “with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat.”   I want to be counted as one “who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for 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 he fails while daring greatly.” 

Thanks for the "man up" Teddy.