Both have witnessed the power of the message behind the Citizenship in the Republic or more popularly known as “The Man in the Arena” speech by Theodore Roosevelt. Theodore Roosevelt was speaking to the people of France about the path to democracy and the role citizens in a democracy play in building a democracy. He called for them as citizens to do their best and to hold themselves to a high standard of service. As EMPOWER Possible turns one year old (yay!), I am revisiting the speech as I have written about it in a past newsletter. As I reflect on the past year and the speech I am reminded of all of the people, events, and messages that have inspired me, kept me motivated over the year, and those I aspire to serve to the best of my ability. And, whew, it has been quite a year! 🎉 Some of the highlights include working with clients on strategic planning and goal setting, building my online courses, writing this newsletter 😊, presenting on Purpose and Meaning, working with local community education programs, co-facilitating a retreat with Rachel Gilbertson, and last but not least connecting around issues of well-being and empowerment. This year has had its ups and downs and rounds and rounds, just like a roller coaster. I am working on going with the flow and not reacting but responding to each situation. So life is more like the kiddie roller coaster, not the Wild Thing roller coaster.🎢 There were many times when I had my “Man in the Arena” moments. When I almost stopped because I was concerned about the critics. What kept me motivated is thinking about what this experience can teach me. If you learn something then you have not failed because many will critique you if they think you have failed or are going to try to do something that has not been done. It is during these times that I think about the quote from Theodore Roosevelt, “it is not the critic that counts (sometimes my loudest critic is myself)... 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 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 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 fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat. This quote and many other inspiring messages, along with the support of you the reader, and the support of family and friends kept me going over the months of planning, implementing, falling, and getting back up. As EMPOWER Possible turns one year old, I am in a phase of reflection and gratitude. My heart is so full of appreciation for you and the EMPOWER possible community. I will end with a few reflection questions I am going to be asking myself and that you might find helpful too.
Who is your loudest critic? Is what they are saying necessary, kind, or true? What strategies can I use to assess my work to ensure that it is my best? What is inspiring you? Then think about what phase you are in. Are you building, implementing, reviewing, or resting/reflecting? Don’t forget about the resting phase!
I am looking forward to continuing to offer services that build a community that empowers each other and to many more years and many more “Man in the Arena” moments or should I say Person in the Arena. As I am expanding I am looking for your feedback. Please click HERE to take the EMPOWER Possible Interest Survey. I want EMPOWER Possible to serve you in the best possible way. Completing this survey will help me do this! Thank you in advance for taking 5 minutes to complete the survey.
Lastly, please check out the upcoming events section for more information! Thank you for your readership!
Together we can regenerate our world,
Julie
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