Victory Is Not Just About Winning
Victory is not just about winning. It is also about how you play the game. This is what the essence of entrepreneurship. Do your best, get knocked down, get up and do it again. Win, lose, or draw, you are victorious.
“It’s not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the show you play the game, strong man stumbled, or when 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; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions and 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 know neither victory or defeat.” ~ Theodore Roosevelt
I take this to mean that if we as individual entrepreneurs devote and commit 100% of our efforts to reaching our goals and objectives, our success may be measured–externally–by revenue. Internally, however, success is more about being the people we believe we want to be, providing for our families, establishing security, competing in the marketplace, demonstrating and achieving the greatness that comes with applying ourselves 100% and being willing to get our heads beaten in time after time as we fight this most honorable battle.
Whether we win, lose, or draw is irrelevant. It is the path we take and the battles we are willing to fight for ourselves and our families that make us unquestionable winners. Victorious in the face of our issues, warriors if you will, we are victorious in a mission for which we are willing to sacrifice ourselves for the benefit of others and, yes, to become and demonstrate that we are the people we desire to be.
There can be no more honorable path to take or more justified battle to wage. Within that framework we are victorious. Let our detractors be damned as they most likely have never fought and lost only to get back up and fight again. That takes he heart and soul of a warrior. I bow to you all who fight the battle and sometimes lose and sometimes win but always are willing to enter the arena again and sacrifice all.
You are most worthy.
