A central theme in Brown's work is inspired by a Theodore Roosevelt quote "The Man in the Arena". Legitimately one of my favorite quotes and one that I return to often...mainly because I need the reminder. I need the reminder more often than I'd like to admit... The core idea is that the critic does not count; credit belongs to the person who is actually in the arena, doing the damn thing and getting their ass kicked in the process. Courage is defined by showing up and being seen when the outcome is uncertain rather than by achieving a perfect result. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐚 (Guarantee of Failure-oh the joy of failure) -If you choose to be brave and show up in your life or work, you are guaranteed to "𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐚𝐬𝐬 𝐤𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐝" at some point. So....let's fumble forward enthusiastically, yeah? ***failure is an inevitable consequence of courage, the critic’s observation of that failure is technically accurate but morally irrelevant to the person striving*** 𝐓𝐡𝐞 FOUR 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐂𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐬 There are 4 seats in the "arena" that are always occupied: 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐦𝐞: The "gremlin" that tells you "you're not enough" or "Who do you think you are" 𝐬𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐲: "The voice asking what you are contributing that is original or if your work even matters 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐧: The nightmare of looking at others' work to judge your own value (rather than to inspire) (thief) 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐜: specific seat reserved for a parent, a teacher, or a "shitty ex-coworker", spouse, 'frenemy', basically someone we value in some way. 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐅𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 If a critic is not also in the arena/has not been in the arena "getting their ass kicked," their feedback should be eyed carefully. If a critic is sitting in the "cheap seats" (they're not putting their reputation or heart on the line; they're staying safe and small; they're afraid that you won't serve the same role for them), be cautious. The critic is the person who points out how the "strong man stumbles" but they are not the ones who actually risk failure or there's a dependency on you staying in the exact role you have been in because they may have been benefitting and you taking action may require them to change too.....