Daring Greatly Today

Daring Greatly

I came across this quote today. This time we're going through made me think of it in a different way. We might have some outer critics, but for me, sometimes it's my inner critic that I struggle with the most.

“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.”

My inner critic sometimes tells me I'm not doing enough, not being a good enough mom (homeschooling is no joke), not reaching out to enough friends... not staying enough on top of things...

Most days I can soar above it all.

Some days, like today, I feel I come short again and again. I stumble, I strive, I err... Perhaps at times, this is more than you feel you can weather, too, emotionally, mentally, socially.

Maybe your inner critic is saying that you could be doing better... you could be handling this better.

But how could you? How could I? We're in the arena, marred by dust and sweat and blood. This is what it means to be daring greatly.

We might not feel that what we are doing is high achievement... but it is. For a worthy cause.

During these times, it's okay to feel victorious and defeated, many times a day. And perhaps that beautifully painful dance is what living is all about.

Much Love,

Evelyn