Meredith Rigdon // @mererigdon79
“It’s not the critic who counts.”
We all know the quote. I was criticized once again for my passion for triathlon. It prompted me to find this quote. Because, near the end, it says something powerful. Roosevelt also said “The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena…who spends himself in a worthy cause…if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly.” It came to me watching the athletes competing in the Liberty Bridge Jump Off. Y’all. That was daring, and failing, and succeeding greatly.
I was told triathlon is my self-made finish line. One giving me and my teammates the personal validation we desire. Guess what? That’s right. It does validate us, and it *does* make us feel better. But the after effect? We’re better parents, better employees, better citizens of yeahTHATgreenville.
Like the athletes on Main Street, we’ve chosen a finish line that allows one of the greatest joys in life, the pursuit of greatness. Whether we sail over that bar we’ve set so high, or go down fighting, we’ve trained and fought. That is a risk and a criticism I’ll happy endure. Go. Find your finish line. Pursue it with all your heart. Dare, fail and succeed. I call that a life well lived.
