To Win Every Battle, Win This One

"People talk much of my battles in life!... The hardest battle I have had to fight, however, is one that no one knows about. It was a battle to control my own temper. That battle I never won until recent years. I now have won that fight and I consider it to be the hardest struggle -- it certainly was the longest -- of my career." -- Teddy Roosevelt

I think I'm not alone in that with Teddy. The journey to lasting happiness is littered with pet peeves. When we train ourselves to step past them -- or better yet, to sweep them away altogether -- the trip's gratefully shorter!

It's a fact that we're sometimes committed to be places we'd rather not, and sometimes regarded (by a word or just a look) as flawed. There are remedies for the first, such as to use the time to quietly reflect or to learn something useful for later conversation. As to the second, that's simply fact! As long as I remind myself that successes and failures are pretty insignificant and temporary in a universe this vast, then even the hardest times pass more enjoyably.

Joy in the Party

"The joy of living is his who has the heart to demand it." -- Teddy Roosevelt

Life hands us a fair measure of sacrifice on its own. Why impose more upon ourselves by taking the low view of things?

This week I heard someone analyze the four official "generations" currently in the work force -- Traditional (born through 1944), Boomers (1964), Xers (1976), and Yers. On the topic of "work/life balance" Xers and Yers were classified as valuing life more than work. The X/Y's around me nodded our heads. Xers live for today and save for tomorrow. Our energy might run low, but our spirit can always reach higher if we want it strongly enough.

Wordless Preaching

"Example is the most potent of all things... You must feel that the most effective way in which you can preach is by your practice." -- Teddy Roosevelt

"Mere lip loyalty is not loyalty at all..., the only homage that counts is the homage of deeds, not of words." -- Teddy Roosevelt

"As the failures at church mounted, and then as successes started to blossom elsewhere, I concluded that God wanted me to stop pretending... I found my calling to be in serving the community rather than in serving the church." -- Joe McDonald

May I Have a Word?

"I found many good people very much concerned over the separation of Panama from Colombia so long as it was called a secession, but not minding it at all as long as it was called a revolution! It took me a long time to realize that they identified secession with the action of the Southern Confederacy, and revolution with our action of 1776!"

Here Roosevelt observed how powerfully word choice stirs our emotions. A paragraph of good will can be spoiled by an ill-chosen word or tone. That shouldn't stop us from speaking from the heart, but it does guide us to keep our heart in the right place.

Invincible Optimism

Teddy Roosevelt's legend was as a boundlessly optimistic person. And yet, those close to him were aware of what his daughter Alice called "a melancholic streak." It's comforting to know that those streaks, which are bound to strike us, can bounce harmlessly off of us quickly if we fortify ourselves with optimism!

Whoa, Teddy

"To refuse to accept any change until its advantages have been demonstrated by actual experience means that we must always be behind the times." -- Teddy Roosevelt

I'd add that being "ahead of the times" isn't purely good any more than being "behind the times" is purely bad. Risk-taking is part of life. So is caution.

Oh, Panama!

You say that you've got a problem too large to solve?

"[Teddy Roosevelt] had to create and staff an entirely new administrative organization which had to be responsible for digging, dredging, and constructing locks and dams on a huge scale [in order to build the Panama Canal]. It had to provide for the regular and systematic flow of supplies and materials from the Unites States over 2,000 miles of water to tie Isthmus. It had to recruit a laboring force of skilled and unskilled labor, to transport the force to Panama, and then to house and feed these men. The care of their health required a large medical staff to fight yellow fever and other tropical diseases. Furthermore, this administrative unit had to govern the Canal Zone and handle relations between the Americans and the Panamanians. Finally, the organization had to operate under pressures from Congress, labor officials, the press, and the American public."

Back to work!

Bluffing is the Worst Policy

"I never make a bluff, either in public or private life." Having a bluff called in any circumstances undercuts credibility in future negotiations. Be honest!

An Alternative to Head-Knocking

Teddy Roosevelt was not only a famous talker, but a skilled listener. For all his boisterousness, he knew when to rein it in during negotiations from the Anthracite Coal Strike, to mediation between Russia and Japan.

"To be polite and sympathetic in explaining for the hundredth time something perfectly obvious, when what I really want to do is to give utterance to whoops of rage and knock their heads together -- well, all I can hope is that the self-repression will be ultimately helpful for my character."

Our Friends, the World War I Germans

How did Roosevelt compel Germany to retreat from several U.S. interests most peaceably?

"I have endeavored to show him that I was sincerely friendly to him and Germany. Moreover, where I have forced him to give way I have been sedulously anxious to build a bridge of gold for him, and to give him the satisfaction of feeling that his dignity and reputation in the face of the world were safe. In other words, where I have had to take part of the kernel from him, I have been anxious that he should have all the shell possible, and have that shell painted any way he wished."

Tale of Two Troubles

"There are two kinds of troubles a man can be in : trouble that he can do something to cure, and trouble that nothing he can do will cure. if he is in the first kind of truble, the longer he thinks about it, the worse he'll be: let him start at once, let him get into action and try to remove the trouble. That will help him to feel better very soon. but if it's a trouble he can't cure, let him dismiss it from his mind and think of something else." -- Teddy Roosevelt

Recently I was reading advice on heading off anger in all its forms, including "pet peeves":

1. Ask yourself, is this worth thinking about any longer?
2. If yes, is my anger justified?
3. If yes, is there something that I can do about it?

If the answer is no to any of these questions, then drop it and move on, otherwise take action!

Read Every Day

Even as president, Teddy Roosevelt routinely read one, two, or even three books a day. That's a little beyond my league (sports magazines excluded), but reading history has contributed a growing supply of stories that make for better conversation! Trends start to emerge in the personalities of great people. Why mature slowly by trying to figure out alone, day by day, those things that successful people have lived already?

It's Just a Flesh Wound

On October 14, 1912 Teddy Roosevelt was running for a third term as President. While traveling by train to give a speech in Milwaukee, a man shot him in the chest at point-blank range. With blood oozing from the wound, he proceeded to deliver a 90 minute speech. As the crowd cheered at its conclusion, he turned to the doctor and said "Now I am ready to go with you and do what you want." The bullet never was removed removed from his chest, remaining there for the rest of his years.

Is there anything more emotionally stirring than to see a person grit on while wounded?

Relax, It's Just a Grizzly Bear

"There were all kinds of things of which I was afraid at first, ranging from grizzly bears to 'mean' horses and gun-fighters; but by acting as if I was not afraid I gradually ceased to be afraid." -- Teddy Roosevelt

Teddy Do-Right

Late in the afternoon of February 25, 1898, while serving as assistant secretary of the navy, the secretary took a day off while remaining in Washington. Technically, that established Roosevelt as the acting secretary for the day. He took the occasion to issue a series of orders late in the day which edged the U.S. closer to war with Spain. The most significant was a cable to one of the commanders that he should prepare his ships for operations against the Spanish fleet in the Philippines in the event of a declaration of war.

One on hand, I think that this probably compromised trust/teamwork and wouldn't advise it. Still, a valid point is that

"I may not be supported, but I have done what I know to be right; some day they will understand."

The popular newspaper New York Sun recognized as much: "This man Roosevelt seems to do about what he thinks is right and doesn't care a rap for the consequences. He must be all right."

I'm convinced that we live a longer, more peaceful life when our unbending principle is to act upon those things that we believe are right.

Another Famous Failure

The more leaders I read about, the more the old cliche comes to life that "in order to succeed, you must fail." In Teddy Roosevelt's case, his business ventures -- in publishing and ranching -- were, in financial terms, flat-out failures.

This One Job I Do

From the Christian Bible's pages comes the quote "This one thing I do," highlighting the importance of taking care of today, and letting tomorrow take care of itself. Here's another from Teddy Roosevelt:

"At one period I began to believe that I had a future before me, and that it behooved me to be very far-sighted and scan each action carefully with a view to its possible effect on that future. This speedily made me useless to the public and an object of aversion to myself; and I then made up my mind that I would try not to think of the future at all, but would proceed on the assumption that each office I held would be the last I even should hold, and I would confine myself to trying to do my work as well as possible while I held that office. I found that for me personally this was the only way in which i could either enjoy myself or render good service to the country, and I never afterward deviated from this plan."

Roosevelt acknowledged that fate is too difficult to foresee, much less manage. And he'd know that as well as anyone, since he ascended to at least two posts (including President) due to the untimely death of his predecessor!

Plus I'd say personally that my career's become much more peaceful, and I've added credibility with those who work with me that I'm selfless in my interests, since I started building a 20-year plan for my current job, rather than a 3-year plan to reach my next one.

How Not to Destroy America

Another quote from Teddy Roosevelt speaks for itself, and means more today than even during his time:

"The things that will destroy America are prosperity-at-any-price, safety-first instead of duty-first, the love of soft living, and the get-rich-quick theory of life."

Few of us will serve in the military, but there are plenty of ways to serve our country. I spent a couple of hours today helping to split wood for the Timber Pointe (Easter Seals) camp ground. That wood will fuel fires for all those who use the camp for the next several months, including the severely disabled children who look forward to the comfort of the heated cabin as part of their few opportunities to get outside the home and enjoy a taste of an active life.

How to Reduce Debt (or Weight)

Teddy Roosevelt established the now-familiar approach of creating outside commissions to review and reform government spending. During his presidential administration, the federal debt reduced by $90 million.

It's another case study of the value of trusting one's intentions but not trusting one's results. Humans make mistakes. People tend to either do what's been done before, or to reinvent the wheel without consulting widely. Bringing in an outside perspective will rarely save $90 million, but watchfulness is almost guaranteed to bring improvement. Step on the scale every day for a month and see what happens!

Speak Softly and Carry a Big Stick

Many of us have heard Teddy Roosevelt's line "speak softly and carry a big stick." Those who are fortunate enough to have obtained some supervisory responsibility know that they carry a big stick, like it or not. No matter how kind or humble a leader is, there's something about authority that puts people on edge, however slightly it may be. Roosevelt was speaking of the United States, emerging for the first time as a world power less than 40 years after nearly tearing in two via the Civil War. To me "speaking softly" means not to get into a shouting contest during conflict... it's picking an unfair fight because we have an unfair natural advantage. Speaking softly suggests humility, and maybe a greater willingness to listen. I think the humble use of power, in the long run, bests an outspoken approach 9 times out of 10.