Do what you CAN do

I usually enjoy going to the gym and exercising. For me, it started when I realized I had an undersized body and an oversized mouth. Since I couldn't keep my mouth from getting me into trouble (usually through a beating from my older brother), I'd better start building some muscle. The process is painful, though. To build muscle, you must first tear up what's there. That causes a certain amount of pain and recovery time, but then it grows back bigger and stronger than before. Then do it again, and little by little, over time, you begin to see results. No shortcuts; unfortunately, you have to endure the process over time to get the lasting result. It's hard, painful at times, but worth it as it's in the process that you build knowledge of yourself and your limits, understand what works and doesn't, perseverance to endure the suffering, and the confidence to achieve a worthy goal. 

In college, I would work out with the football team (D3 schools would allow that), and almost all of them were bigger and stronger than I was. There were days that we would "max out." See what your maximum weight was on a given exercise, usually a bench press or squat. Squats usually left me crushed and bent over like an antique accordion, so I stuck to the bench press. It would frustrate me because they could all bench press more than me. My max was less than theirs, and initially, I felt bad about that. Why couldn't I do more? I'd try their weight and fail. I'd try again, not push it and defeated; they would help get the bar off my chest. I finally decided that I could only do what I could do and to be satisfied with the effort I put in. Heck, I worked hard, getting great results, and going home feeling good about what I was accomplishing. And over time, getting better each day. I stopped worrying about what I couldn't do and started finding joy in what I could do. 

If you feel overwhelmed at work these days as the weight of what you need to get done feels too heavy at times, give yourself a break. You can only do what you can do. Show up, put in the work, feel great about the effort each day, and then go home (or to a different spot in your home) and feel good about today. Rejuvenate, rest, enjoy your family, and don't worry about what you didn't get done. 

The Bible says, don't worry about tomorrow, for today has enough worries of its own. 

You can only do what you can do. However, you can increase that output little by little; over time, by seeking out the best way to get things done, seek out people who are generating bigger results and study how they are doing it. Try for a little improvement each day, and over time, your behaviors will change, and results will emerge. But it takes time, patience, knowledge, perseverance, and, most importantly, rest. 

Finish the day strong, leave the anxiety at your desk, and rest in the joy of a good day's work.