Theodore Roosevelt was born into one of New York City’s wealthiest families on October 27, 1858. As a boy, he was scrawny, even malnourished, from a lack of appetite. He suffered frequently from colds, coughs, headaches, cramps and fevers.
Doctors tried everything from electric shocks, controlled bloodletting and massages that were so intense they made his chest bleed.
To the dismay of modern medicine practitioners, his doctors also prescribed black coffee, cigar smoking and a syrup to induce vomiting since they believed food placed undue pressure on his lungs.
Finally as a young teenager, his dad challenged him:
“Theodore, you have the mind, but you have not the body, and without the help of the body the mind cannot go as far as it should. You must make your body.”
Making anything requires action.
Roosevelt believed idleness was the enemy. As a result, he became obsessed with taking action.
To make his body stronger he did all that he could. From training on gymnastics rings and parallel bars to boxing lessons from a prizefighter to lifting weights daily, he made considerable gains.
As the youngest U.S. President, Roosevelt would later live “the doctrine of the strenuous life” that he articulated in a speech from 1899.
“That highest form of success comes not to the man who desires mere easy peace, but to the man who does not shrink from danger, from hardship or from bitter toil.”
We all have challenges that we deal with at work, at home, and even on our own. In order to live The Strenuous Life, you must be committed to action.
In real estate and construction, it can be easy to forget the actions required. You get lost in the emails, the spreadsheets, the conference calls. You forget that the action happens outside your office, away from your desk.
To build on ideas, you need to take action.
What is the best next step for you?
What is the next best step for your team?
What is the next best step for your clients and partners?
How can you take control of your day, your work, your health, your life?
Our time here is extremely short. No matter where you are, or what your role is on your team, you can get stronger.
You can take actions that will make an impact.
If you have a bias toward action, you will not only live a strenuous life, but also a good life.
In the words of Theodore Roosevelt:
“Get action. Do things; be sane; don’t fritter away your time; create, act, take a place wherever you are and be somebody; get action.”
It is important enough to repeat. GET ACTION. DO THINGS.
That is why one of our guiding principles is a bias for action.
The Real Con 011