- Theodore Roosevelt
26th US President

Teddy Roosevelt, as he was popularly known, was an inspirational figure. As he alludes to in the quote above, making mistakes is an integral part of doing something and striving for success. Unless one overcomes the fear of failing or making a mistake, it is unlikely that one will take all the steps required to achieve the desired outcome. Even as a person makes a mistake, there will be critics around — it is important to ignore the critics who are there to point fingers from a distance. He gives this message eloquently as part of his “Citizenship in a Republic” speech delivered in 1910, a passage referred to as the Man in the Arena (reproduced below).

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.

- Albert Einstein
Scientist, Nobel Laureate

As is often said, the only constant in life is change. When change happens, we are bound to be affected by it. At the same time, sometimes we have to make changes to change the results or outcome of what we are trying to achieve. We cannot expect to get different results, if we keep doing the same things. If what is being done doesn’t yield the desired results, change the ‘inputs’. Be willing to change or else, expect the same undesirable results.

The ability to change is different from being fickle. A person who is willing to change is making a conscious and informed decision to change, depending on the facts of a situation and after considering various factors. Being obstinate even when everything points you to make a change is insanity.

- Albert Schweitzer

- Oprah Winfrey
Talk show host

Check out this speech by Oprah Winfrey at Harvard.

By : EnlightenedDeep

Colin R. Davis
An English conductor

Robert T. Kiyosaki
American investor, businessman, self-help author, and motivational speaker.

Thomas J Watson
Chairman and CEO of International Business Machines (IBM)

Les Brown
Motivational speaker and author

Abraham Lincoln
The 16th President of the United States