Jake Burhans argues that life comes down to one thing: the ability to get back up after being knocked down. Growth requires moving through fear and discomfort. He cites Theodore Roosevelt's "A Man in the Arena" and Calvin Coolidge's "Press On" as mantras for persistence.
Life can be boiled down to this one simple fact: can you get up when you get knocked down? Life is filled with uncertainties. We spend our whole life trying to make everything certain. We want everything to be exactly perfect so we're never stressed out or we're never anxious or we never feel uncomfortable. Life is uncomfortable, folks. Growth is uncomfortable. Our system wants to keep us in the familiar, right? It deems unfamiliarity as danger. So understand that your system is going to feel fear. It's going to feel anxiety as you grow into this new version of yourself. When you get knocked down like you inevitably will, can you get back up? Look up the "A Man in the Arena" quote by Teddy Roosevelt, "Press On" by Calvin Coolidge, two of my top quotes of all time. Will change your life. So stop being scared to get knocked down. Understand that you can just get back up and life is actually about just getting up. Persistence and sheer determination are the key ingredients of doing anything.
