“You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, ‘I have lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.’ You must do the thing you think you cannot do.” ― Eleanor Roosevelt, You Learn by Living: Eleven Keys for a More Fulfilling Life
This past Friday, we had the pleasure of hearing from Ann Arbor author, Jim Tobin, on his book “The Man He Became” (If you missed the event, you can watch the video HERE). Mr. Tobin talked to us about Eleanor & Franklin Delano Roosevelt and how FDR’s struggle with polio enabled him to become the great man who inspired the nations to push through both the depression and World War II. Those of us who were in the audience, learned that when Mr. Roosevelt said, “We have nothing to fear but fear itself” he was drawing on his own personal experience in overcoming the effects of polio, which at the age of 39, in just a few frightful days, took the use of Mr. Roosevelt legs.
According to James McPherson, “Having pulled himself up for the reality, and even the fear of paralysis, FDR was prepared for the challenge of leading America’s effort to overcome the paralysis of the Depression.”
There is much to learn from Mr. Tobin’s story about how the tragedy in a disability can either be the source of defeat or the source to develop courage. Here are some leadership lessons I took away from Mr. Tobin’s talk:
- We have a choice to either hide a disability, or to embrace it as part of our character.
- Fighting a disability can become a source of pride and joy. At one point Mr. Roosevelt took great glee in showing how much he was progressing by crawling across the floor during a party in front of a crowd of astonished friends.
- Character is about learning to act no matter how much fear wants to hold us back.
So perhaps today is a good day to reflect on this Eleanor Roosevelt quote and ask ourselves: “What is one thing I can do today that I think I cannot do? What one step can I take today that will lead me to do what I, and perhaps others, think I cannot do?”
Please share your thoughts with me in the comments section below.