Risk Takers Deserve Some Respect
August 20th, 2012
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Author: Hi everyone! I want to post about this as a way of doing two things. First, to let you see how important it is for you to take risks – and second, for you to give the risk takers some respect.
This is a quote from CITIZENSHIP IN A REPUBLIC, Theodore Roosevelt, “The Man In The Arena,” Speech at the Sorbonne, Paris, France, April 23, 1910:
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 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.
I have bolded my favorite parts. Roosevelt teaches us that first of all, we don’t want to be a critic. A cold and timid soul who doesn’t have the balls to do what the risk takers have. We want to put ourselves into the arena with some blood, sweat and tears so that even if we fail, that’s a million times better than sitting on the sidelines being too afraid.
I also want to point out that as consumers, as buyers, we have to give props to the people who put something out there and TRY. I’m not talking about people who set out to rip you off. I’m talking about people who might screw something up here and there. Get it out of your head that everyone’s a con artist. MOST people are good.
So if someone doesn’t email you back right away or you see a typo or their formatting isn’t right or they sound crappy on audio – give them some amount of respect for attempting to help you and share something with you. Even if it’s not a perfect product, they tried.
As a marketer, be so glad you’re not a timid soul who merely comments on other peoples’ work. What a sad life that must be. This quot ought to give you the OOMPH you need to do whatever you need to do with a little less fear a little more pride in the fact that you accomplished something – that you finished something.
If nothing else, you’ve earned my respect when you do this.
Tiff 
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Posted in Career
Wow!! This is perfect!
Thanks Jenni I thought so too!
Ditto! Precisely, I agree!
LOL Yes, so true!
Hey Tiff,
Gotta love the Big Teddy R. channeling the future Tony Robbins. I’ve always said it’s just too easy to criticize instead of thinking of a more measured response. The critics don’t count really, they just keep talking.
Cold and timid souls … love that description. Let’s get hot and daring! Great quote to keep your head in the game. How did you find this gem?
My 8th grade son is studying it and the parents were supposed to go over real life “man in the arena” situations with the kids and it made me think of marketing! LOL
Hello Tiff,
That quote really got me going. I’ve nearly finished my first Kindle book and have still been tweaking and changing, umming and ahhing! it is finished really.
I think it is because I needed that little extra shove that you just gave me to stop putting off the uploading.
Thanks and angel cuddles,
Sarah
Glad it helped
That was perfect timing Tiff. I sometimes read someone’s review on Amazon or the Warrior Forum and I see them complain about a typo, sentence structure or a broken link, etc., and I often wonder…why are they so harsh? If I learn one thing from a product, it is worth it to me and I can overlook small typos and such. I feel at least they tried! My inner critic and the fear of some outside critics have stopped me from getting my book finished. But this post just gave me encouragement. I printed out Teddy’s quote and posted it by my computer! I don’t want to be one of the “timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.” I’ll have my book up in the next two or three weeks! Thanks for the kick!
I’m a critic inside the arena! LOL! Like when I review a product, I do give my specific annoyances (like the splicing or slurping, etc) but it’s in the hope that the product owner will fix it AND because I’m reviewing for an audience who needs my exact response as I’m doing it. But I never go on someone’s WSO or whatever and say, “You have grammar mistakes” or something. LOL!
What is splicing and slurping?
Splicing is from the 21 Day Book review post – they spliced their videos together. Slurping is from another Kindle course creator’s videos where he slurps his coffee on video.
So apt and really, exactly what I needed to hear!
good!
Tiff, it’s different when YOU are reviewing a product. I know you are giving feedback to make their product better. Some people just want to tear the person down…you’re not like that and I hope you didn’t think I was including you in that group.
Oh no I was just thinking out loud. LOL! To myself, really, because I was voicing negative things while talking about it so I wanted to clarify. lol
Risk takers – respect? Our esteemed President wouldn’t give them any.
You know, since risk takers don’t build anything on their own. If you succeed, it is because the government built the framework for you to succeed in. If you fail, it is your own fault I’m sure.
I know that’s right Jim – HEY we agree! I built this business.
You’re so right. I see it so much all over the internet – not just in the IM niche, but everywhere online. Read a single page of YouTube comments and you’re bound to run into haters/critics/sh*t-talkers/etc. It’s sad how so many people just want to bring their brothers and sisters down.
I agree Jessica!
Great quote, Tiff!
I think lack of courage is THE problem for me. It keeps sidetracking me time after time after time. Lack of knowledge and skills or money to invest is nothing compared to it, they are something I can handle anytime.
I don’t say I don’t get anything done because of my fears, but they make my progress *very* slow.
It is for many people so you’re not alone
And, along those same lines; a quote from Eleanor Roosevelt.
“You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face . . . You must do the thing which you think you cannot do.”
Love it