Do What You Can Do
“Do not let what you cannot do
Interfere with what you can do.”
— John Wooden
So many times in life we focus on the challenges. It’s the way evolution formed us. If there’s a saber-tooth tiger looming over our head, we don’t worry about what we might have for dinner tomorrow or what we might wear to the weekend party. We focus all our attention on that one challenge right before us.
That was a fine skill to have when we were about to be eaten by something with sharp, pointy teeth. But it’s less useful when we are in modern times stressing about a thousand little things and focusing our attention on them.
Life is short. Very short. It zips by in the blink of an eye. And, generally speaking, the older we get, the more health problems we have. So our “best years” health-wise are generally the ones we’re in now.
Do what you can do.
We all have limitations. We all have challenges. Some of the challenges are more visible while others remain hidden. I know blind people who are amazing artists and people in wheelchairs who are amazing authors. Every one of us has a talent we can nurture.
Don’t have access to oil paints? Leonardo da Vinci made stunning pencil drawings. Don’t have access to a high-end camera? Many beautiful works of art are being made with old phone cameras. The basics still rule – composition, balance, and emotion.
Can’t write long novels? Amazon sells vast numbers of short stories and poems. Can’t leave the house? There’s so much you can do right from your computer or phone!
Do what you can do.
Take that first step.
Sunset image sourced from Pixabay / user geralt