It is hard to fail, but it is worse never to have tried to succeed. –Theodore Roosevelt

It is not the critic who counts,
not the man who points out
how the strong (wo)man stumbles
or where the doer of deeds
could have done them better.

The credit belongs to the (wo)man
who is actually in the arena,
whose face is marred
by dust and sweat and blood,
who strives valiantly,
who errs and comes short again and again.

Because there is no effort
without error and shortcomings,
who knows the great devotion,
who spends himself in a worthy cause,
who at the best knows in the end
the high achievement of triumph
and who at worst,
if he fails while daring greatly,
knows his place shall never be
with those timid and cold souls
who know neither victory nor defeat.

- Theodore Roosevelt, 26th US President

This is absolutely one of my FAVORITE quotes of all time.

Anytime I know someone’s saying something
negative about me behind my back, or
criticizing me for pursuing my dreams,
or moving 5,000+ miles away from
anything familiar to start my life over
from scratch…

I come back to this quote by Teddy,
and realize – it’s soooooo true!

I’d MUCH rather be all bloody, and dirty
and battled-worn from pursuing my dreams,
than to be among those timid souls
who are afraid to try because they are
afraid of what other people may think,
and who are are satisfied with mediocrity.
Cuz that’s just NO fun at all!

Have you ever been around one of those
gossippy-chattery-types who have NOTHING
better to do than talk about other people
and it’s never positive? They’re always
pointing out something negative about
someone else.

What’s funny – is they typically never
talk that much at all about their OWN
flaws! Ya’ ever notice that about the critics?

Here’s what I learned while taking a
crisis-management course to learn how to
de-escalate a potentially violent situation
when I worked with at-risk teens.

And it’s this:
When people try to lash out at you and
make YOU feel bad, mad, sad, angry, or
depressed…

Take account into the feelings you’re
feeling and experiencing. And then look
at the person lashing out, realizing those
feelings are EXACTLY how THAT person is
feeling.

It’s actually an indication of how they feel
deep inside, but don’t have the maturity to
express it appropriately – or are insecure within
themselves that they can’t even admit how they
really feel. And therefore, hope to drag someone
into their pit – so they don’t feel so all alone.

I hope this piece of wisdom I learned will
help you keep the critics in perspective,
and help you turn any negative feelings
into feelings of pity for these types.
Because their gossip is really a desperate
cry for a deep-seated need within themselves…

Once you realize this fact – you’ll NEVER
ever EVER take criticism personally again.

Agree?

What do you think of this?
Any AH-HA moments?

IF so – please share your thoughts below.
I LOVE hearing from YOU! And what you
get from my little motivators each morning.

ALOHA!