Let me borrow the words of this wise man, Theodore Roosevelt. He says,
“ 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.”
If someone has never walked in your shoes, knows no struggle like yours, and like Brenè Brown says, “If you’re not in the arena also getting your ass kicked I’m not interested in your feedback”. That’s because many people assume that they know enough about a person to judge them and decide whether or not they are a failure. If you are one of us getting your ass kicked, fighting day and night to hold onto your dream, to walk that next mile or even take that next step, to fit into your skin, feel and fill your body, to overcome a shame or fear, to do a job that is so damn difficult amidst little or no support, to find, make or raise a family, to build that business or go through school successfully, to just be, breathe and live in freedom ….. You keep doing the work. You know you’re doing everything . You keep dreaming and working on you. You keep moving; shoulders square and back, head held high because only you know where you’ve been and know where you desire to be and hopefully you’re steps are facing in that direction. You stay the course.
Also, Be kind to and gentle with yourself.
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