It's not the critic that counts

One of my favorite quotes is from former president Teddy Roosevelt. The quote is as follows:

"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 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 and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasm, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who at best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory or defeat."

Stop for a moment and think about those words. Reread them before you move on. It is a great piece of wisdom and particularly applicable to small business owners. The entrepreneur is the "man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood..." The entrepreneur "strives valiantly" and "spends himself" on his chosen field of dreams. The entrepreneur represents what is great about our nation.

It seems that some in the public eye have forgotten or have ignored this powerful message. I cut short my usual perusal of the various cable news channels this evening sickened by a never ending stream of critics, naysayers and attack dogs, who offer no solutions, but only harsh criticism of their opponents. I am a registered Independent. I have voted for Republicans and Democrats, depending on where they stood on the issues. Thus, I have no political horse in the nasty dialogue.

Something inside me however shouts that we are better than this. We are better than the constant bickering and partisan labeling without thought; without give and take. When did we become a nation of critics? When did we forget that it's not the critic that counts?