The Men and Women in the Arena

You know the quote. It’s the one about the man in the arena. No one knows what it’s like to be that person, except others who are in the arena. Teddy Roosevelt had an important message with his famous quote that still packs a punch today.

The funny thing about being in the arena, so to speak, is that, while it has the pressure and consequences we glamorize in stories and movies, you quickly learn that you’re automatically in sparse company. So few people are willing to play the game to begin with that, in most industries, the “arena” isn’t nearly as ruthless as it’s always cracked up to be. There isn’t a line out of the door of people wanting to beat you. More so, there’s a line out the door of people that want to “help” you from outside the ring.

As a young entrepreneur, I’ve come to find that there just aren’t that many people in the ring to begin with. Just signing up to stick your neck out there for something, anything at all, makes you a rare bird these days. So, while the man in the arena bears the burden of his own outcomes, I’d argue that, in 2018, so few are willing to compete that the shot at the title has never been more lucrative.

Enter the arena. It’s lonely in here.

Logan Gelbrich  

@functionalcoach