“Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.”
~Theodore Roosevelt

A colleague recently cornered me in the hallway to complain. “Everything is going wrong on this new project,” she moaned. “We simply don’t have the resources to make this happen by the deadline. It simply can’t be done.”

How often have we realized we don’t have the necessary resources to accomplish something, and so we get frustrated and angry, or we simply give up and stop trying? We feel so overwhelmed that we can only see what can’t be done instead of what can. We take stock and realize that we simply don’t have what it takes to achieve what we’re aiming for…so we walk away.

What might happen if we took Teddy Roosevelt’s advice to heart? It brings to mind Field of Dreams – “if you build it, they will come.” The people who are truly successful – successful against all odds – are those who don’t take “No” for an answer; those who take lemons and make lemonade; those who do what they can, with what they have, where they are. These are the successful salespeople, the successful managers, the successful parents, the successful leaders.

So do it!

Where can you simply hunker down and do what you can, with what you have, where you are?
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If you enjoyed this post, you can read more like it in our book, The Power of Thoughtful Leadership: 101 Minutes To Being the Leader You Want To Be, available on Amazon.


For support in doing what you can, with that you have, where you are, contact Robyn at rmcleod@chatsworthconsulting.com.

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