What does Miley Cyrus’s tattoo, a Cadillac commercial and this article have in common?

Each have taken inspiration from the speech given by Theodore Roosevelt in 1910 called, ‘Citizen in a Republic’ or commonly known as ‘The (hu)man in the Arena’. In particular, the following passage:

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

Note: personal addition of (hu)man, (them)self, they, their.

The speech was a wild success back then and even today, over 100 years later, it still resonates and inspires. Why is that?

Well, for me personally, it talks to having the confidence to take action – putting yourself out there and no matter what, reframing the experience from ‘success or failure’ to ‘experimenting to learn’. And, boy, have we all been doing a lot of ‘learning’ over the past 18 months!

Like many of you, I’ve had to adapt my whole way of working, my business model and my approach to connecting with people. As an extrovert and people-orientated person, it has been a genuine struggle. There’s nothing I love more than having meaningful conversations with you face-to-face, whether that is through our workshops, sessions, panels or social events but alas, that has just not been possible.

So, I’m choosing to take action. To push myself into shaking things up and doing things differently. To step into the arena and to dare greatly.

My intention is to share with you every fortnight or so, learnings, insights and take-aways that are valuable, educational and inspirational. And, I’m hoping, you’ll do the same.

You see, I know that you too probably have something you’ve been holding back on. It might be personal – holding yourself accountable to create a new habit, become healthier or meet new people. Or it could be related to your work – a new idea, a different approach or stepping up as a leader to challenge the status quo. Whatever it is, we can learn from and encourage each other. 

I know more than ever, as humans, we need to connect with each other.  We need to know we have someone in our corner, looking out for us. We also need to get into that arena, to dare greatly and to make our impact in this world. 

So, the invitation is extended to join me in the arena. 

Some questions for you to reflect on:

• What have you been holding back on? Write down 2-3 opportunities. 
• Why have you been holding back? Write 2-3 reasons

Feel free to to share your thoughts and responses below. 

In the next edition, I’ll be sharing how I overcame the fears that were holding me back and 6 tips that can help you overcome yours.