Some Days, We Go High
“This above all: to thine own self be true…”
- William Shakespeare, Hamlet
“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 the 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.”
- Theodore Roosevelt, The Man in the Arena
“‘Cause the players gonna play, play, play, play, play
And the haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate
Baby, I’m just gonna shake, shake, shake, shake, shake
I shake it off, I shake it off”
- Taylor Swift, Shake It Off
Some days, being a leader, doing our jobs, putting ourselves out there makes us vulnerable. To attack. To judgment. To criticism. To lies. To people trying to take or gain advantage.
And, very much ascribing to Michelle Obama’s rallying doctrine of “When they go low, we go high,” there is not a lot we can do about it.
So, what do we do? Do we let it shake our confidence? Let it feed our inner critic narratives? Let it stop us? Or, is purpose bigger?
I believe it is.
We must hold our heads high. We must shake it off. We must move forward anyway. Not knowing if people will see our truth shine through. Leaders must lead. Even in the dark. Even through the muck.
But, how? How do we do it and stay whole inside? Stay grounded? Stay calm? Stay focused on the most important thing? Be the leaders we need to be? Be the leaders we know we are? Even if that makes us a target?
I think it is about grounding in what we know to be true. The actual facts, first of all. And, also, what we know to be true about ourselves. Our track record. Who we have been. What we have done. How we have shown up. How we have treated others. Who we are at our core. Letting the ego take its hits while we focus on our soul.
No matter how loud. No matter how cruel. No matter how cunning. No matter how determined. No one can take that away.
The truth is, when we put ourselves out there, we open ourselves up to the rocks thrown from what Brené Brown calls the “cheap seats.” We just do. And we have to decide. What’s more important? Being in the arena or avoiding the rocks?
To me, the most important thing is doing the thing. Being brave anyway. In spite of the risk. Perhaps because of it. Living in integrity with my values and in a way I want to model for my son. Regardless of what anybody else does.
In this, I find solace. And, in the growth that springs forth from all the noise and the hard, I find gratitude, strength and meaning.
When they go low, ask yourself — What do I know to be true? And, trust that the truth will set you free…
