Get in the arena...

"It's not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how strong the man stumbles, or whether the doer of the deeds could have done them 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 short again and again; because there is no 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 best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement and who at 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 know neither victory nor defeat."

- Theodore Roosevelt


Probably my most favorite quote I have ever read. The power in his words give me chills the way he describes the man in the arena. Whether the man in the arena losses or wins, he gets the credit because he tried. And as the dust, the sweat, and the blood all prove - he gave his all. And that is what matters the most. I feel like a person is a more of winner when they give their all - even to lose - than someone who puts half an effort into something, but still somehow wins the battle. Even if the man in the arena giving his all does lose, he is that much more prepared for the next battle. And when success is finally his, it is that much sweeter because he has tasted the bitterness of defeat.

I have so much respect for people in the world who are fighters. The ones who have dreams and aren't afraid to chase them - to get in the arena and let it be known that this is what they want and then fight for it. It doesn't always work out, of course. Such is life. But that doesn't take one ounce of credit, one ounce of respect, or one ounce of character from the person who was willing to put it all on the line. I don't think it really matters how big or small the "fight" is. It could be a fight to finish school and get an education, no matter how many jobs you need pick up to pay for it. Or no matter how many hours you need to put in to make passing grades. It could be a fight to get out of bed for work when you feel like crap because you know other people are counting on you. Or it could be a fight to put a smile on your face and and cheer someone up who needs it, on a day when you could use some cheering up yourself. Each of these fights and so many other struggles that people might be working through will cause a certain amount of sweat, a little bit of blood, and undoubtedly kick some dust up in ones face. But at least we are in the arena instead of shrinking from the fight. At least we are putting in effort, in stead of deciding the outcome of the battle before we even fight it. When we decide not to try at all we are passing up an opportunity we had to grow a little more, learn a little more, or perhaps even be victorious in a defining battle. This quote makes me think about the times when I've chosen not to enter into the arena...and it inspires me to get in the arena more often to fight for things that I want, and to create more opportunities to become a woman of such a credit that President Roosevelt spoke of, rather than be placed with the "cold and timid souls who never know victory or defeat."

Better Everday!

So I've never been much of a blogger. Never really even considered it because I couldn't think of anything I would want to write about myself to be posted for the whole world to see. But lately I've been reading a really great book entitled "Everyday Greatness" by the one and only Stephen R. Covey and realized that there are some things that I would want to post for the whole world to see. Because, of course, I do intend on the whole world reading my very important blogs :)

I love a good quote or a good inspirational story and this book "Everyday Greatness " is full of em. It's made me want to search more and more for words of wisdom that ring true and spark a desire inside of me to be a better person. In fact, one of the first things I do when I get to work is hop onto lds.org or other random sites to read an inspiring talk or quote that I know will help me make the coming day a great day....an even better day than the day before. I really feel that all of us have the potential to create the life that they want. Each of us can be the main character in such inspirational stories that I love to read. Each of us has the potential to be someone who changes world, because you can change the world just by changing someone's world. By that I mean that all it takes to truly make a difference and leave a mark is by changing one individuals life for the better. Because by doing that, you have made their world a better place and in effect changed their world.

I think that most of us have that desire to make a difference and to live a good life. To make a lasting impression for the better. Sometimes it feels overwhelming though - how can we do this? Is it one huge feat that we have to accomplish before we can say - I have made a difference? Do we have to overcome a deadly disease, win an Olympic race, adopt five starving children living in Africa, or make millions of dollars to give away to charity? Although each of these things would definitely be considered charitable and awe deserving - I feel like the changes most of us can and will make in the world won't come from such large acts, rather it is an accumulation of small and simple, but good things. In a recent General Conference talk given by the Elder Bednar, he offered a great metaphor for this. He explained that a beautiful painted masterpiece is actually the vast collection of individual brushstrokes - none of which in isolation might be very interesting or impressive. However, as we back up to take a good look at the painting, the individual brushstrokes combine together to produce the beautiful masterpiece - worthy of hanging above a fireplace for all to see! I love this analogy. One brush stroke might not be a masterpiece in itself, but after multiple brushstrokes you can create something beautiful.

A similar analogy I like to think of is a runner. Can someone who runs once a year for an hour be considered a runner? I don't think so. A person becomes a "runner" because they consistently run. Whether its for 10 minutes everyday, or an hour every other day - they are considered a runner because it is something they consistently do. Similarly can we be considered a good person if we make one charitable contribution of $500 a year or because once a year we decide to bake a cake for our neighbor, while the rest of the year we are short with our family and never think to extend a helping hand with people who might be in need because we are too busy with our own lives? I don't think so. Can you be considered a follower of Christ by going to church from time to time or reading your scriptures every now and again, but during the course of a normal day taking hardly any or no thought to Him? It takes consistency and repeated behavior of a particular act before you can consider it a part of you. Through small and simple things great things come to pass. It is the accumulation of small, but great acts that will determine what kind of person we are and what legacy we will leave behind us.

So what does that mean? It means that everyday is important. Every hour, every minute, every second. A smile to a stranger, a kind word, or even biting your tongue when you want to snap at someone (and even suppressing the bad thoughts!) - these things all add up and amount to your own personal character. It means working a little harder at becoming the person we want to be everyday. Setting goals. And then working everyday to accomplish them. These individual, isolated events will all decide our character and the person we are. The challenge we face is to make sure that the brushstrokes we paint - although small and simple movements - will help us work toward that beautiful masterpiece of a painting.

Okay - sorry not all of my blogs will be this long. This is basically my theory on life and something I have come to feel very strongly about - and the reason I wanted to start this blog - so I wanted to expound. Each blog post will be dedicated to making ourselves better everyday! "Living our lives in crescendo" as Stephen R. Covey would put it. Basically I'll just post up any inspirational thoughts, quotes and/or stories I have come across that have helped and inspired me in some way so that others can enjoy them too. The key to these quotes is using them to create an action plan for ourselves. Words can ispire, but it takes our own self discipline to make good things come from them! Please feel free to add your comments and thoughts on things that I put up and any other quotes or stories you might have. I would love to hear them!