It’s hard to keep things in perspective in this world of Insta/Pinterest/Reality curated everything. We hear everyone’s miraculous story about making bajillions of dollars selling printables on Etsy or losing thirty pounds almost instantly with whatever magical weight-loss plan they’re peddling and, at least for me, it can be disheartening. I am constantly fighting the feeling of hopelessness because I didn’t start ten years ago on whatever thing I need five years from now. But that’s just ridiculous. Something is better than nothing.

So we meet ourselves where we are. We start here. There’s a ton I don’t know about a ton of things. But I know some things about some things.

Start there. What do you wish you could do and what can you do on the path to get there?

I am constantly trying to lose weight, be stronger, run faster and for hours without getting tired. Super realistic right? But I can pay attention to my food intake – not restrict, just pay attention. I can develop a training plan that incorporates strength training and speed work and long runs to help me get faster, stronger, AND build endurance. The key there is “er”. We’re looking for improvement on a spectrum, there’s no finality there.

I never feel that I have a good enough plan for retirement. I work for myself, I am 40, I barely have a retirement account established. Let’s be honest, there’s like a 5% chance the Social Security actually exists by the time I retire, so I’m on my own as far as retirement planning goes. I fight the feeling of “what if there’s not enough” almost every day. Then I remember, that I’ve done the things I can do. I can’t go back in time and start investing at 25 (If you can start investing sooner, DO IT! Time matters way more than amount. Go check out my adulting 101 post if you need more thorough instruction on how/what to do.) I have maxed out my Roth IRA for the last few years. I have automated the savings and investing that I can. And I can throw more into that if I need to. I just got an additional revenue stream (i.e. part time job) that will help me have more opportunity for investment. Now I just have to tell myself to breathe.

Our house is never as clean as I wish it was. But Boyfriend and I are both naturally messy people. Certain things matter to me from a cleanliness/tidiness perspective and certain things just don’t. I am definitely happier when the house looks put together, but I honestly don’t care that much if I have three loads of laundry that need folding and there are dishes in the sink. So I do what I can. We break down projects into smaller tasks. I can usually manage to unload the dishwasher while I’m waiting for the coffee to brew in the morning. Once every week or two, Boyfriend and I have a laundry folding party where we throw all our laundry on the bed and then just chat and catch up on our days while we fold laundry and clean off the bed – added incentive is that we don’t have a place to sleep until at least most of it is folded and put away.

I recently listened to a podcast about a woman who got overwhelmed by the clutter on every surface in her house and it would send her into a depression and anxiety spiral. Her answer was drawers and baskets. She had junk drawers and junk baskets to put things “away”. At varying points she would pull out a drawer and organize that drawer, but it kept the anxiety at bay because she wasn’t staring at it every day.

This is all to say that nothing has to be that big. Figure out what works for you to keep your health and space the way you need it to be. The pressure to be perfect is one of the things I hate about social media. But the ability to connect with others that struggle like we do – normalizing the struggle – is a reason I love it.

Meet yourself where you are. Try to do one thing more than you did yesterday. Or just one thing that’s been on your to-do list for a long time. Maybe that’s just taking a shower today because that’s seemed too big. Maybe that is just measuring out the calories in one of your normal meals. Maybe that is just washing one plate in your sink. It doesn’t have to be a big thing. Meet yourself where you are and accept and embrace your starting place. There’s no should in this world. No one is giving out grades or judging your daily existence. Do what you can to make your world better and improve your day to day.

Just do what you can.