“Quotes in Action” – Day 6

"Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can." ~ Arthur Ashe

Fill in the blank: I can’t pursue my objective because _____________. At any given moment, there are always going to be hurdles, problems, issues, and obstacles that stand in the way of moving forward. Without much effort, I can think of many reasons why we doubt our ability to succeed, including:

  • Lack of sufficient funds to buy supplies or hire help
  • Limited, small, or suboptimal space
  • Skepticism, doubt, and/or criticism from others
  • Illness or physical limitation
  • Scarce available time

In other words, if we wait for the “perfect moment” to take action, we will probably spend most of our time waiting. Today I’m sharing a famous quote from tennis great Arthur Ashe: “Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.”

The brilliance in this quote is the idea that we have power even when our circumstances are less than ideal. We don’t have to wait until we have exactly the “right” time, money, resources, circumstances, relationship, job, or anything else. Admittedly, our journey may be a bit twisty, or take a little longer than it would if things were different, but we can still have success. In fact, we may find new ideas and learn some things as we move along that twisty road.

If you have been waiting to get started on a project or goal, today is the day to start. Ask yourself, “What can I do to get started using only what I currently have at my disposal?” You might be surprised to discover that you can make a tangible step toward achieving your goal, using free resources, current belongings, and the time you have.

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2 thoughts on ““Quotes in Action” – Day 6”

    1. Isn’t it interesting when you see a trait of yours appear in a child? Genetics fascinate me. It takes a lot of intentionality to change our inner dialogue, but it can really improve our perspective! It’s possible!!

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