"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 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 up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for 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 he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat."
Theodore Roosevelt
"Citizenship in a Republic,"
Speech at the Sorbonne, Paris, April 23, 1910
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Thursday, April 29, 2010
On The Road to a Better Place, There are No Juice Breaks
Setbacks are part of life. And it's easy to think, when you've experienced a series of them, that the cosmic decks are stacked against you, that there's no way to win.
It's really hard to keep a positive outlook, committed to the promise of a better tomorrow, when it seems that your efforts go unnoticed. Maybe you're a high school student who has done everything to put out a positive vibe and still finds himself left off of the invite list and last picked. Maybe you're a hard-working manager at a big company overlooked for the promotion and much-needed pay raise that would come with it.
It's true, life isn't fair. I can't claim that some kid from the Bronx stepping over vagrants on his way to an overcrowded school has had the same advantages that I, a son of two white working-class suburbanites did. Life's a big high-stakes card game. The greatest Americans are those who had a bum hand and bluffed their way to the top. Similarly, there are cases of anemic American royalty who have somehow come up short holding a straight flush.
The point is, in either case, you can't get caught napping. If you've got every advantage in life, there's someone hungrier than you ready to take your perch. If you're a guy who's down on your luck, stopping for a good cry will just put you that much further back in the race. America loves an underdog, someone who rises up against the odds and gives the world what for. That's because that's how this country got its start.
Inspire yourself. Take a mental picture of your finest hour. Pin it up on the wall in the room in your mind where you keep your ambitions and your fears. You're the only guy you have to beat on your way to positivity.
Remember -- there are no absolutes when it comes to measuring success. Decide what success means for you and go after it. I can't promise you'll win the race, but if you spend your energy complaining the game is rigged, I can guarantee you'll lose.
It's really hard to keep a positive outlook, committed to the promise of a better tomorrow, when it seems that your efforts go unnoticed. Maybe you're a high school student who has done everything to put out a positive vibe and still finds himself left off of the invite list and last picked. Maybe you're a hard-working manager at a big company overlooked for the promotion and much-needed pay raise that would come with it.
It's true, life isn't fair. I can't claim that some kid from the Bronx stepping over vagrants on his way to an overcrowded school has had the same advantages that I, a son of two white working-class suburbanites did. Life's a big high-stakes card game. The greatest Americans are those who had a bum hand and bluffed their way to the top. Similarly, there are cases of anemic American royalty who have somehow come up short holding a straight flush.
The point is, in either case, you can't get caught napping. If you've got every advantage in life, there's someone hungrier than you ready to take your perch. If you're a guy who's down on your luck, stopping for a good cry will just put you that much further back in the race. America loves an underdog, someone who rises up against the odds and gives the world what for. That's because that's how this country got its start.
Inspire yourself. Take a mental picture of your finest hour. Pin it up on the wall in the room in your mind where you keep your ambitions and your fears. You're the only guy you have to beat on your way to positivity.
Remember -- there are no absolutes when it comes to measuring success. Decide what success means for you and go after it. I can't promise you'll win the race, but if you spend your energy complaining the game is rigged, I can guarantee you'll lose.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Friday, March 5, 2010
Triumph of the Optimists
No one has ever been successful betting against life. Being positive is a win-win scenario, and has always triumphed over negativity.
Friday, February 12, 2010
The Critic
On your quest for positivity, you’re bound to run into many pitfalls – the detractors, the nay-sayers, those who will try to bring you “down to earth”.
The critic is one such character you need to learn to avoid. You probably know this one better than you think – you may have been this character in a previous life. But if we’re moving towards a more positive America, this is one type that needs to be deported.
So who is this critic? The critic knows all. Whatever someone else does, he’s done it better. If you are excited about your new car, he’ll tell you he’s had faster cars, or you could have gotten a better deal. In his eyes, the only person who does things right is he.
But the thing you soon discover about the critic is that critics don’t create. They’re like sportsmen at a hunt club, waiting for your ideas, you work, or your excitement to bubble up, so they can shoot it out of the sky with their negativity. They’re the first ones to explain with great pride how your idea wasn’t fully thought out, or to celebrate the failures of their colleagues who stick their necks out too far.
For America to once more become a great force for good in the world, a golden searchlight cutting through the haze of doubt, we have to embrace the urge to create. We’re all born artists, inventors – creators, but over time, that drive to create gets filed down by the criticisms of others. The critic stands in the way of all of us reaching our true potential.
How do you deal with the critic? Well, the critic, like many of us, is someone who has lost their way on the road to possibility. Maybe they were criticized too much themselves, and joined the ranks of the negative rather than be targeted for ridicule. It’s important not to succumb to the urge to join in the party! Sure, picking on others can give us feel better about ourselves for a short time, but the lasting effect is a dark, brooding demeanor that people find de-motivating and even oppressive. The good news is, as someone who has committed to a better world through positivity, you can show them the light. It’s like fighting for the steering wheel, every time they turn the conversation towards the negative, grab the wheel and veer towards the positive. Engage them, talk about things they’re excited about, and soon they’ll feel the energy of what’s possible with a positive approach.
Before long, you’ll have a new ally – and a new partner in positivity.
The critic is one such character you need to learn to avoid. You probably know this one better than you think – you may have been this character in a previous life. But if we’re moving towards a more positive America, this is one type that needs to be deported.
So who is this critic? The critic knows all. Whatever someone else does, he’s done it better. If you are excited about your new car, he’ll tell you he’s had faster cars, or you could have gotten a better deal. In his eyes, the only person who does things right is he.
But the thing you soon discover about the critic is that critics don’t create. They’re like sportsmen at a hunt club, waiting for your ideas, you work, or your excitement to bubble up, so they can shoot it out of the sky with their negativity. They’re the first ones to explain with great pride how your idea wasn’t fully thought out, or to celebrate the failures of their colleagues who stick their necks out too far.
For America to once more become a great force for good in the world, a golden searchlight cutting through the haze of doubt, we have to embrace the urge to create. We’re all born artists, inventors – creators, but over time, that drive to create gets filed down by the criticisms of others. The critic stands in the way of all of us reaching our true potential.
How do you deal with the critic? Well, the critic, like many of us, is someone who has lost their way on the road to possibility. Maybe they were criticized too much themselves, and joined the ranks of the negative rather than be targeted for ridicule. It’s important not to succumb to the urge to join in the party! Sure, picking on others can give us feel better about ourselves for a short time, but the lasting effect is a dark, brooding demeanor that people find de-motivating and even oppressive. The good news is, as someone who has committed to a better world through positivity, you can show them the light. It’s like fighting for the steering wheel, every time they turn the conversation towards the negative, grab the wheel and veer towards the positive. Engage them, talk about things they’re excited about, and soon they’ll feel the energy of what’s possible with a positive approach.
Before long, you’ll have a new ally – and a new partner in positivity.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Positivity Is The Only Renewable Energy
America can be the 21st century positive energy leader by harnessing the power of positivity, addressing the global negativity crisis, and creating millions of new positive attitudes.
The Current Situation
The country that harnesses the power of positive energy will lead the 21st century. For too long, people in America have been beholden to negative interests, but no longer. Our new, responsible Negativity Out policy recognizes the relationship between positive energy, the environment, our lifestyles, and our economy and leverages American ingenuity to put people back to a positive state of mind, fight global negativity, increase our positive energy independence and keep us happy.
The Solution:
Chart a new energy future:
The Negativity Out campaign is a comprehensive plan to chart a new positive energy future by eliminating negativity in ourselves, addressing the global negativity crisis and creating millions of new positive attitudes.
Invest your time in clean, renewable, positive energy:
To achieve our goal of eliminating negativity in 2010, we will make unprecedented promises to stop being negative in the office, in government, at home, and in everyday life.
Fight attitude change:
No single American is perfect. When challenges arise, we will fight the urge to act negative and instead overcome our obstacles with a "can do" attitude. It is time to stop saying "We can't" and start asking "How can we?" We will invest our energy to solve the problem and not use it to talk about how difficult it is, only causing more problems and adding negativity.
The Current Situation
The country that harnesses the power of positive energy will lead the 21st century. For too long, people in America have been beholden to negative interests, but no longer. Our new, responsible Negativity Out policy recognizes the relationship between positive energy, the environment, our lifestyles, and our economy and leverages American ingenuity to put people back to a positive state of mind, fight global negativity, increase our positive energy independence and keep us happy.
The Solution:
Chart a new energy future:
The Negativity Out campaign is a comprehensive plan to chart a new positive energy future by eliminating negativity in ourselves, addressing the global negativity crisis and creating millions of new positive attitudes.
Invest your time in clean, renewable, positive energy:
To achieve our goal of eliminating negativity in 2010, we will make unprecedented promises to stop being negative in the office, in government, at home, and in everyday life.
Fight attitude change:
No single American is perfect. When challenges arise, we will fight the urge to act negative and instead overcome our obstacles with a "can do" attitude. It is time to stop saying "We can't" and start asking "How can we?" We will invest our energy to solve the problem and not use it to talk about how difficult it is, only causing more problems and adding negativity.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
People for a more positive America
To build a positive foundation for American’s everywhere, we’ll make a determined effort against a common challenge facing Americans and their families — negativity. By acting together, we can overcome the negativity that for too long has prevented real change on the critical issues that Americans face day in and day out. Now is the time to leave behind the status quo and build support for real positivity across the board to ensure that the attitude of American's become more positive and leave negativity out. Read more about the negativity we face throughout 2010. Support the campaign by joining our facebook page, following this blog, and eliminating negativity in America, are part of the solutions that will get us back on the road to long-term positivity.
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