Ep.1/ Triumph in the Arena
“The credit belongs to the [person] who is actually in the arena… 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.”
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This quote, excerpted from Theodore Roosevelt’s speech called “Citizenship in a Republic”, was delivered in 1910 in France. It’s been widely quoted, and has obviously meant a lot to a lot of people, but it became especially important to me when I discovered it on the wall of my beloved grandfather’s office shortly after his passing.
My life to this point has been about unraveling how I can help make the world a better place (drawing from Judy Hopps in Zootopia), or perhaps an attempt to “join the great company of those who make the barren places of life fruitful…” inspired by Helen Keller.
Every generation faces unique hardship, and mine has been no different. The Columbine High School shooting took place during my junior year of high school. September 11, 2001 was days before I left for college. The 2008 financial collapse occurred as we were trying to get established in our careers, right after I failed to qualify for the Beijing Olympics (and I worked in the financial services industry).
Sandy Hook, COVID, the January 6 insurrection, Russian attack on Ukraine, ever increasing political unrest and divisiveness, the list goes on. It’s painful to engage with the news.
And this is even before you overlay the physical reality of chronic stress, cancer, obesity, osteoporosis, arthritis, and a litany of other chronic, debilitating diseases that are lifestyle-related, but also seemingly so inevitable given the desperate situation we find ourselves in.
We’re lonely, discouraged, divided, seeking meaning, but increasingly removed from any meaningful activities.
Triumph is an effort to investigate how, despite all of life’s obstacles, we can collectively prepare to triumph, to join together in the joy that this life can offer, and embrace each other in the moments that bring the deepest pain.
Ep.1/
Triumph in the Arena
In this episode, I talk with a long-time client and dear friend about the importance of this mission, and why it’s time to take the effort to the next level.
