Summary

The author found inspiration in a CrossFit billboard's mantra, "Start where you are, Use what you have, Do what you can," which resonates with Theodore Roosevelt's advice for resilience and progress, offering a practical approach to navigating life's challenges in an unsteady world.

Abstract

In the midst of the pandemic's disruptions, the author discovered a life mantra on a CrossFit billboard that provided a sense of direction and hope. The mantra, "Start where you are, Use what you have, Do what you can," became a guiding principle, applicable to various personal and community scenarios. It was later revealed that the mantra originated from Theodore Roosevelt, via Squire Bill Widener, emphasizing the importance of setting realistic goals, finding pathways, and having the agency to act. The author reflects on the mantra's alignment with Brene Brown's concept of hope as a cognitive process rather than an emotion, and underscores the need to move forward with imperfect actions towards one's goals despite constraints. The article concludes with a humorous note on the importance of verifying sources before sharing them widely, and an invitation to follow the author's work.

Opinions

The author believes that the mantra "Start where you are, Use what you have, Do what you can" is a versatile and effective approach to dealing with the chaos and unpredictability of life.
They suggest that this philosophy can instill hope and provide a framework for achieving goals, even in difficult circumstances such as the pandemic.
The mantra's origin from Theodore Roosevelt, via Squire Bill Widener, adds depth and historical wisdom to its practicality and relevance in modern times.
The author emphasizes personal responsibility and action, advocating for a proactive stance in the face of life's challenges.
A touch of humor is used to highlight the author's initial misattribution of the mantra to CrossFit, rather than its historical source, while also acknowledging the value of fact-checking.

The Perfect Mantra for Our Unsteady World

It’s realistic, offers hope, and came off a CrossFit billboard

After Covid arrived, I felt like I couldn’t get traction in my community work or projects.

I needed a new approach.

Events and plans got canceled. My priorities and obligations kept smashing into each other — homeschooling, work, friends, family, health, finances, indoor plants. I replaced yoga with baking and threw myself into new pastimes like compulsively checking news reports and loitering on social media. It all got too much.

As chaos peaked, I found a new life mantra on a CrossFit billboard. It’s brilliant and gave me back a sense of momentum.

If you feel like you’ve lost traction in our unsteady world, this is for you.

My Catchy New Life Mantra

I found my new mantra on a billboard outside a local CrossFit gym. I loved it so much it now has its own line in my personal manifesto. The sign read, “Start where you are, Use what you have, Do what you can.”

Go on. Test it against these scenarios and your own.

You’re freelancing. There’s so much to do, and your resources are limited. The kids are at home, your house is a wreck, and your plants need watering. Start where you are, Use what you have, Do what you can.
You’re a newly single parent. It’s overwhelming, but your family needs you to keep going. Start where you are, Use what you have, Do what you can.
You’re trying to build local community connections. Events are routinely covid-canceled, people have disengaged, and the community feels fractured due to differing viewpoints and circumstances. It’s a hot mess. Start where you are, Use what you have, Do what you can.
You’re a smurf in a forbidden forest full of glowing green rabbits, fire-breathing dragonflies, and Gargamel. Start where you are, Use what you have, Do what you can.

See? It works.

It Gives You Hope Even When You’re Swimming Down The River

Pandemic or not, I feel the spin of family, freelance work, and community obligations. Sometimes I struggle.

I imagine it’s what a koala feels like on a long swim. Like most of us, koalas start strong, then wear out and eventually sink. This mantra gives me great hope, even when I’m swimming down the river with wet fur.

In her book Daring Greatly, Brene Brown talks about hope as a way of thinking (as opposed to an emotion). She says hope happens when:

we have the ability to set realistic goals,
we can figure out pathways AND
we have the agency to act (and believe in ourselves).

The motto Start where you are, Use what you have, Do what you can, offers endless hope because we can do those three things even when things get hard and weird.

It Turns Out My Catchy New Life Mantra Was Stolen (Cue Embarrassment)

When I saw that sign, I thought, “Wow, who knew these CrossFit guys were so wise.”

I ended up sharing the motto dozens of times, even mentioning it in a public community meeting. I felt fun telling people my new mantra came from a CrossFit billboard.

Imagine my embarrassment when I realized this gem came from Theodore Roosevelt, not CrossFit (insert facepalm emoji here).

According to his autobiography, President Roosevelt got it from a guy called Squire Bill Widener of Widener’s Valley, Virginia. Originally it went, “Do what you can, with what you’ve got, where you are.”

Squire Bill was a busy guy. He was a miller (he was into corn), a millwright (he was into machinery), a confederate soldier, a teacher, a Sunday school superintendent, a justice of the peace, a spiritual advisor, and a mate of Theodore Roosevelt.

I don’t believe he was into CrossFit.

“Start where you are, Use what you have, Do what you can.” — the local CrossFit Gym via Theodore Roosevelt via Squire Bill Widener

We Need to Move Firmly and Imperfectly Towards Our Goals

Squire Bill nailed it.

And CrossFit nailed it too.

Start where you are, Use what you have, Do what you can is the right mantra for an unsteady world.

Even when surrounded by constraints, limits, and less-than-ideal conditions, we need to get on with it and move firmly and imperfectly towards our goals.

Messages about hope and progress are great, but there’s another lesson here too. Check the source of something before you share it publicly thirty-six times — another motto fit for a personal manifesto.

Before you go…

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