Listen to the Wisdom of Teddy Roosevelt

We are in the throws of what many people call the worst economic conditions in over 75 years. I question that slightly - but regardless, things are tough.

So, my question is, "Do you throw in the towel and give up or do you commit to you dream and make it happen?"

If you are a small business owner - and a true entrepreneur at heart and maker of great things, don't settle for anything less. If it is your passion - make it so.

More so in these times, others will doubt you and your efforts. And you, at times, may even doubt yourself. But before giving up on your dream, read the words of a true leader of men, President Teddy Roosevelt, about commitment, devotion, triumph and failure.

And if you read them carefully, you will find that President Roosevelt words resonate in your heart as if he was speaking them to you directly.

"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is in the arena; whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end 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 know neither victory nor defeat."

Now go! Get in the arena and fight for what you believe in. Find a way to keep the fight alive and get others to support your fight. And remember . . . whether you win the fight, or lose the fight, it is the pursuit with devotion and enthusiasm that you will be remembered by.