Author: cbarney.45

On April 23rd, 1910, Teddy Roosevelt gave one of my favorite speeches. The speech was titled “Citizenship in a Republic,” but it is more commonly known as “The Man in the Arena” speech.

In the most famous part of the speech, Teddy criticized those who tried to tear others down. If you were ambitious and trying to make a difference, trying to improve your life in some way, that is what T.R. respected. He wanted to encourage more people to become doers, and to not be the types of people who pointed out when others “failed.”

It’s easy for us for sit in the stands and judge others. Actually doing the work though? That’s the tough part. That’s the part that many people are unwilling to do. But if you truly want to live your best life, that is what you must do. Because if you succeed, you will know that your success came from hard work, determination, and persistence. It wasn’t handed to you. And if you don’t reach the heights that you initially imagined? It may be disappointing, but it’s not failing. Failing is not trying and wondering “what if…?” Failing is giving up before you really even get started.

Ultimately, the best part of life is that the actions we take are the biggest factors in determining our level of future success. So ask yourself, do you want to be the man in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood? Or do you want to be a spectator, watching others do battle in the arena? The choice is yours.

I love a good checklist. It is so satisfying to me to be able to see an something that needs to be done, to complete that something, and then to check it off of my “to do” list for the day. At the end of the day, I can look back at my checklist and see all that I have accomplished.

Checklists can be wonderful things. They can get us to refocus on what needs to get done for the day, especially if you get pulled away by something or someone else. When you come back to your desk, the checklist is there – waiting for you. It lives for you to cross items off the list. But there’s a dark side to checklists too…

Remember that satisfying feeling I talked about when you cross an item off of you list? Be careful that you’re not putting trivial items on there just so you can feel better about crossing them off. For example, you wouldn’t put “brushing your teeth” on the list. Do you need to do it? Yes. Is it important? Yes. But is it really separating you from your competition? Hopefully not.

We must learn to think bigger if we want to dramatically improve. This goes for goal-setting too. Writing a S.M.A.R.T. goal is important. But something can still be written S.M.A.R.T. and be too small to move the needle for you or your company. That’s why stretch goals are so important. It’s ok if you don’t know how you will achieve your stretch goal initially. It may seem far-fetched. But if you break it down piece by piece, approach it from a new direction (you can’t do the same thing that you’ve been doing and expect a different result), and are consistently working towards your goal, you have an opportunity to achieve these large goals.

So, when you make out your “to do” list for today, remember to only put the big action items that need to get done. And if you have time, look at your goals for the year again. We’re just about done with the first quarter. Have your goals changed? If not, should they?

Knowledge is potential power, but acting correctly upon that knowledge is what truly gives you the power/freedom to succeed.

Do you know anyone who you view as more successful than you even though you feel like you’re smarter than them? What’s the difference between you and them? The actions that they took (and you took) to get to your respective spots in life.

Don’t be bitter. You can’t change the past. But you can do do something about it now to improve your situation. We can all win in life. It’s not a zero-sum game.

For those of you struggling through COVID-19, whether you are affected by the virus itself or the methods being implemented to flatten the curve, Hal Elrod has an affirmation from The Miracle Morning that can put this situation into proper perspective. His “overcoming adversity” affirmation goes like this…

“I know that where I am in my life, now, is both temporary and exactly where I need to be to learn what I must learn, so that I can become the person I need to be to create the life I truly want. Even when life is difficult – especially when life is difficult – the present moment is always an opportunity for me to learn, grow, and become better than I’ve been before. Just as others have done, I can turn my adversity into an advantage by accepting all that is outside my control – past, present, and future – so that I can give myself the freedom from emotional pain, be at peace, and create the life I truly want.”

Obviously, the struggle is real with COVID-19. People are dying and I do not take that lightly. But if you are young and relatively healthy, do not let yourself get down and out due to circumstances that are outside of your sphere of control. You cannot control if a loved one gets the virus, but you can control your actions to minimize your risk of getting it and spreading it to others. You can’t control if the government places a stay at home order, or if your job is furloughed, but you can control what you do with your time at home.

Make the most of this time now. Work on improving your relationships with others. Even if you can’t be with them in person (remember, stay six feet away!), you can reach out to them to see how they’re doing. Work on improving your home life – with your significant other, your children, your pets. What can you do today to be the best husband/wife possible? Or the best mom/dad possible? Work on improving your physical health, your mental health, your spiritual health, and your financial health. I think you get the point here. Use this time to your advantage. Your situation is temporary, but it is where you need to be to become the person you’ve dreamed of becoming. Overcome your adversity and be the hero of your journey!

Pain is inevitable. We will all face pain in our lives (physical, emotional, financial, etc.). But just because we feel pain, does not mean that we need to feel suffering. Suffering is a choice. It’s a mindset. Whatever our current circumstances are, we have the power to control how it affects us – we decide. We have the power to build a better future by changing our mindset today.