"The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotion, spends himself in a worthy cause; who at best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement; and who at worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who have never tasted victory or defeat."
Theodore Roosevelt
It couldn't be said much better or more thoroughly then the quote above. It is disheartening to see the amount of people who acceptingly drone through their days, letting their lives pass them by minute by minute. They seemingly lose the ability to even dream due to never letting themselves break out of the box they live in, that box they have allowed society put them in - yes, that THEY have allowed. You must take control and regain that passion for learning, for life, and for exploration that we all were born with; that underlying instinct to excel and try new and exciting things.
We were all born with these passions, if we were not, we would have never made it past the first painful breath of air in this world. We never would have made it past our first steps and consequent falls, or went past our first attempts to speak our first words. Somewhere along the way we get reserved, embarrassed, knocked down and we never venture to get up again. Even worse many lose the ability try a new step out of that comfort zone again to anywhere near a point of failure.
Take your control back. You are the only one holding you back from achieving greatness. Fall. Relish in the fact you had the heart to push yourself at an endeavor hard enough to reach the point of failing. For in failure greatness is born. It is in each wrong step, misplaced word, or loss to a better prepared, stronger, and greater willed athlete that we learn to excel. We learn that despite our perceived effort, we can give more. We must give more in order to reach a pinnacle, and know that once on that summit, our journey has only begun.
Despite our performances of the past there is and always will be a better one. There always will be more you can do, or those behind you on your coat tails who are willing to do more. You are, and never will be the strongest, smartest, leanest, fastest, most beautiful or most complete in any field you choose. Perfection is a great goal to set for yourself, and it is also very healthy and a must to realize and find joy in the fact that even though you seek perfection, no matter how far you soar you will never reach it - you can always do more.
Your life and achievement is not over until you give up and pass on. Start living this life while you still have the chance, this may be the only one you get. Make your mark and learn to enjoy the ride.
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