Doing what you can

Doing what you can

I only made a fraction of the progress I was planning to make today due to unexpected challenges.?

With the luxury of hindsight, it’s easy declare that obviously focusing on making progress is the right response and that feeling frustrated over the unexpected challenges simply is a waste of energy. But the reality is that in the heat of frustrating circumstances we’re bound to feel at least a little frustrated.?

Teddy Roosevelt famously offered the sage advice, “Do what you can, with what you’ve got, where you are.”?

Allowing yourself to be human first is key to embodying this advice. That means means allowing yourself to feel frustrated instead of viewing it as yet another failure to get back on track with your goals and then, when you’re ready, focusing on the progress you can make.?

We don’t need to be this spitting image of a perfectly zen, emotionless rock to be effective. We just need to remember and accept that we’re human.?


The Daily Spark exists for two reasons:

  1. To document one idea every day that I've found helpful in my life.
  2. To inspire you to discover what matters most and to take action towards it.

Reading subscription: LinkedIn, Substack,?and Medium.

Audio subscription: Spotify, Anchor, Pocket Casts, Breaker, Google Podcasts, and RadioPublic.

About me:

I'm a second-generation Taiwanese American trying to find life’s greatest sources of meaning and make the most out of it.

Swatilekha Roy

Explorer | Creator | Caregiver | Growth Lead at ACF | GHC '21 and GHCI '24 Scholar | Microsoft Intern '22, Fix-a-thon, CX Presentation & Aspirathon Winner | MLH Fellow '21 | Athena Hacks '21 Winner

8 个月

William Liao somehow, you always end up posting just the right daily spark that I need to read on a particular day facing a particular situation. Thanks for providing these beautiful insights through your daily sparks! ??

要查看或添加评论,请登录

William Liao的更多文章

  • Hofstadter's Law

    Hofstadter's Law

    I have come to accept that I will rarely accomplish 100% of the things I start the day thinking I can do. It’s…

  • If most things are overblown...

    If most things are overblown...

    If you can agree with the premise that most problems are overblown?—?especially in hindsight?—?then you have every…

  • The necessity of downtime

    The necessity of downtime

    At least 30% of the time when I sit down to write, it quickly becomes clear that I have no idea what to write yet. My…

  • Chiah-pa?

    Chiah-pa?

    In East Asian cultures, notably in Taiwan where I frequently visit extended family, we inquire about another’s well…

  • My Dune Dilemma

    My Dune Dilemma

    Dune: Part Two is a hard film to watch. Not because the story is bad?—?I think it’s good.

  • Lingering

    Lingering

    Today’s Daily Spark is sparked by ideas from philosopher Byung-Chul Han’s essay ‘The Scent of Time’. Ever since my…

  • Painted door jams

    Painted door jams

    The further upmarket you go, the more attention automobile manufacturers will be inclined to pay towards small…

  • Rainy and...

    Rainy and...

    At a previous job, we were about to lose one of our biggest clients. I asked the team leader in a panicked voice: “Hey,…

  • Knowledge Fast

    Knowledge Fast

    The pursuit of knowledge is generally perceived to be an incontrovertibly good thing, and yet the thought of consuming…

  • The evolving premise

    The evolving premise

    The motivation for daylight savings made some sense at when it was introduced: It would reduce the need for artificial…

社区洞察

其他会员也浏览了