We can argue on Teddy Roosevelt’s tenure as President, but he could spin a great tale when he gave a speech. When he spoke to the Sorbonne in 1910, he talked about courage, winning and losing, and actually doing something.
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.
TR was quite a fellow. He was a feminist, a strong supporter of women’s suffrage, and a conservationist. When he spoke of the “man” in the arena, he was speaking of ‘mankind.’
The arena was where you tread to let your deeds and ideas be exposed to light. Where you fought, where you won and where you lost. It’s not the corner shop, or a classroom, or your workbench in the garage. It’s not where you have your ideas or ply your trade.
The arena is where you bring your fight to light. It need not be huge, like the coliseum, but to test your ideas, your invention, your product, your service, you must expose it to as many as possible. You must be in the arena.
If you run a bodega, perhaps a sign or flag on the street is enough. If you run 20 of them, perhaps you need wider exposure, a larger arena.
If you expect to be rated by an entire country, continent, or world, you need an arena that has enough seats to attract a large audience.
Parking Today is that arena in our industry. Through print, our websites, our trade shows, we reach huge numbers, we provide a service that enables you to know whether you experience the triumph of high achievement or the pain of failure, you do so by daring greatly.
Parking Today – We are the Arena
JVH
