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Legend has it that when Teddy Roosevelt visited Japan after the Russo-Japanese War, he was interested in jujitsu, and he may have learned some Aikido from O-Sensei Morihei Ueshiba. Now that would have been way cool. Much like O-Sensei and Cheryl, Teddy Roosevelt is my Hero.
Teddy Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States, a Harvard scholar, an athlete, a decorated war hero, a rough rider, and a Renaissance man. He was a courageous wise man.
Cheryl posted on Facebook about who we can be in the face of criticism. She read her favorite quote from Theodore Roosevelt’s “The Man in the Arena”:
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.
Cheryl challenges us to strive valiantly in life. Amen. Becoming greater than you know yourself to be is to be the one who valiantly strives, who is willing to fail while greatly daring.
Granted, criticism can be an invaluable gift. Criticism can point out what’s missing for you, provide lessons to work upon, to leverage, and inspire you to train even harder. That kind of gift creates the possibility of becoming greater than you know. That’s the criticism from those who see you as greater than as well.
However, there will always be those who will criticize and judge, not to inspire. Rather they criticize you as your lesser than so that they might feel greater than you in their own minds. If only there. Just saying.
From O-Sensei’s teachings, I get that becoming greater than you know you to be isn’t the game played from the sidelines: True victory is overcoming you. Greater isn’t listening to the talking heads who don’t dare participate in your greater game. Unlike you, they risk nothing.
Instead, listen to your heart, listen to those who walk beside you. Cowards laugh at those who dare to be greater, those who risk failure in the pursuit of the greater self. Cowards fear failure more than life itself. You play that internal greater game. What are you willing to do and what are you willing to give up to become greater than you know?
Becoming greater than you know arises in the not doing, the intense practice and training. “Not doing” occurs as a failure on the path. Yet, failure is the invaluable gift. In Aikido, years ago while training for Shodan, Sensei yelled at me. It was my time to endure. It was my time to step up into greater than I knew me. I kept practicing until what I did became natural, became part of me.
Those who criticize only to make you feel lesser than never risked as boldly as you do in your journey of greater. That shall be their karma. Your karma is greater.
What happens when the hater is my own voice? “Jon, do you really think that you can do that? I really suck!”
Bruce Lee said, “Empty your ambitious mind.” Accept that defeat and failure are part of the journey. I can always gather evidence that “I suck” or that “I can’t.” Not only is this stupid, it’s just not very useful. Stop. Reset my zero. Empty my mind. Listen to those who have faith in me, who love me. When I hear my own hater voice, listen to Mom and Sensei Dan. Mom said, “I’m proud of you.” Sensei said, “You’re a better teacher than me.”
Love is greater than the haters, both outside and inside. Love makes you greater. Shakespeare wrote, “Cowards die many times before their deaths. The valiant never taste of death but once.” So strive valiantly. Dare to fail bravely. Be more of you.
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Photo credit: Pixabay