Stop the Stress! How to Do the Best You can with the Resources You Have

I will do the best I can with the resources I have…

Let’s take a look at a common problem at work that’s also a problem for us in our real lives (work isn’t real life, you know).

I was reading an article by Jason Feifer in Entrepreneur magazine this month called “Let’s Get Realistic.” What? We’re all realistic, aren’t we? At least for the most part?

Well, apparently, we’re not and it’s stressing us out.

Somewhere along the line in this go-go-go, more-more-more, now-now-now world of ours, we’ve lost our perspective on what we can realistically achieve with the resources we have available.

Maybe it’s that familiar big corporate mantra, we just have to do more with less. It might be that we’ve bought into the hustle culture’s obsession with maxing out every minute of every day.

And our own imaginations may even be the culprit!

Thus, this disregard for resources becomes a problem for anyone who doesn’t like to settle for average results. Most of us take pride in doing our best work, right? Who wants to settle for doing just okay?

Even Hemingway understood this…

Now is no time to think of what you do not have. Think of what you can do with that there is.”

―Ernest Hemingway, The Old Man and the Sea

We’re always looking up to those who are further along on a particular journey…

Mega-corp founders, celebrities, pro athletes, you name it. But guess what? THEY HAVE MORE RESOURCES THAN YOU!

Here’s the simple, top-level remedy proposed in the article…

Repeat after me, ‘I will do the best work with the resources available.’”

—Jason Feifer

The solution is that simple, although it doesn’t come easy.

Here’s the thing… Our imaginations tend to be bigger than the resources we have at hand.

Enter the fiercest stressor of all—UNREALISTIC EXPECTATIONS!

Let’s begin with a simple question. When you take on a new project, whether it’s an assignment at work or planning a social event, what do you think about first?

I believe the natural response of most hard-working humans is to immediately think about how good, no no, how awesome we can make this project, creation, or event. A little natural creative thinking and we see no end to the possibilities.

At work or play, we tend to forget one thing—RESOURCES!

One of our biggest sources of STRESS is setting ourselves up for failure and disappointment by not considering what we can realistically achieve with the resources we have available.

Here’s the problem, we set ourselves up for disappointment or even outright failure because we set our standards that aren’t attainable with the resources we have available. 

So, how do you get realistic about what you can and cannot accomplish?

How do you do the best you can with the resources available? Here are 5 simple steps that will help get you where you need to be.

• Define success up front. This is Stephen Covey’s Habit 2: Begin with the end in mind. It’s a simple idea that’s not as easy in execution as it sounds. We tend to mess this up by saying things like, “We’ll see how it goes” or “Let’s see what we can do.” The problem is, with that approach you never know when you’re finished! Instead of declaring victory, you just keep chugging away.

• Be realistic about limitations. Setting the bar higher is okay to a limit. That limit being, the goal must be achievable given the resources available. Olympic runners set their goals a fraction of a second at a time.

• Recognize the trade-offs. No matter what we’re working on or attempting to do, there will be trade-offs. Be mindful and strive to make good choices. Just recognize them and plan accordingly. Then move out.

• Does it matter? Not all parts of a pursuit matter equally. Many don’t matter at all. Take the time to be intentional and prioritize the various parts or attributes. Strike the ones that don’t matter. Be brutal in making your cuts if need be.

• Go easy on yourself. Celebrate your victories no matter how small they may feel at the time. And above all, give yourself a break. Few of us are super-human. Oh wait, none of us are.

Now, let’s sum this up one more time—we’ll call it Jason’s rule. “I will do the best I can with the resources I have.” That’s it. That’s all. Because in the end, I can only do the best I can with the resources I have available. 

Be untucked.

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