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 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 not effort without error and shortcomings; but who does actually strive to do the deed; who knows the great enthusiasm, the great devotion, 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 falls, at least falls while daring greatly. So that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory or defeat.
— Theodore Roosevelt, “Man in the Arena”.
Setbacks in achieving your goals are to be expected. Don’t let the naysayers and doubters stop you from getting back up, dusting yourself off and trying again.
Permalink