1/ In the Arena
I've always loved Teddy Rosevelt's "Man (person) in the Arena," yet I've heard from many that they interpret it more along the lines of "Gladiator" than the way I read it.
I've always read it as a call to get in the game, not as a pugnacious combatant
I've always loved Teddy Rosevelt's "Man (person) in the Arena," yet I've heard from many that they interpret it more along the lines of "Gladiator" than the way I read it.
I've always read it as a call to get in the game, not as a pugnacious combatant
2/ but rather as a creative contributor to life.
I think of it more as having the courage to expose yourself to the critics and naysayers by striving (with great enthusiasm) to contribute, even when (especially when) you fall flat on your face.
I think of it more as having the courage to expose yourself to the critics and naysayers by striving (with great enthusiasm) to contribute, even when (especially when) you fall flat on your face.
3/ It seems to be a feature, not a bug, of HumanOS to be wary of the judgment of others.
This probably has evolutionary origins, as when we were all living in tribes as hunter/gatherers, not fitting into the tribe often meant exile and death. Better then to fit IN, rather than
This probably has evolutionary origins, as when we were all living in tribes as hunter/gatherers, not fitting into the tribe often meant exile and death. Better then to fit IN, rather than
4/ stand OUT.
The British even have a phrase for it--"Tall poppy syndrome," which is a generalized worry that people hold back, due to fear that others will criticize or sabotage those who have or are believed to have achieved notable success in one or more aspects of life.
The British even have a phrase for it--"Tall poppy syndrome," which is a generalized worry that people hold back, due to fear that others will criticize or sabotage those who have or are believed to have achieved notable success in one or more aspects of life.
5/ I think this is one of the reasons fear of public speaking is often listed as the #1 fear people have.
As Jerry Seinfeld quipped, "That means at a funeral, you'd rather be in the coffin than giving the eulogy."
Fear of the judgment of others stops so many people from
As Jerry Seinfeld quipped, "That means at a funeral, you'd rather be in the coffin than giving the eulogy."
Fear of the judgment of others stops so many people from
6/ contributing and participating in the arena.
It's so real that there are hundreds of quotes addressing it, for example:
βThe eyes of others our prisons; their thoughts our cages.β
~Virginia Woolf
And if we let the THOUGHTS of others cage us, imagine the despair their
It's so real that there are hundreds of quotes addressing it, for example:
βThe eyes of others our prisons; their thoughts our cages.β
~Virginia Woolf
And if we let the THOUGHTS of others cage us, imagine the despair their
7/ ACTUAL words disparaging us directly cause.
There's no simple solution to overcome this. Perhaps remembering that others really aren't thinking of us at all might help or realizing that being brave doesn't mean not being afraid; it means being afraid and doing it anyway.
There's no simple solution to overcome this. Perhaps remembering that others really aren't thinking of us at all might help or realizing that being brave doesn't mean not being afraid; it means being afraid and doing it anyway.
8/ It takes guts to put yourself out there, but it adds so much to the joy you'll feel in life that it's worth taking the leap.
I was anxious after publishing my first book and the first really nasty criticism of it stung me to the quick.
I was anxious after publishing my first book and the first really nasty criticism of it stung me to the quick.
9/ but I realized that I was still standing and each successive barb aimed at me hurt less and less.
I realized that Nietzsche's maxim "What does not kill me makes me stronger" was quite literally true.
You can too--take a chance and step into the Arena; it's exhilarating.
I realized that Nietzsche's maxim "What does not kill me makes me stronger" was quite literally true.
You can too--take a chance and step into the Arena; it's exhilarating.
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