Doing What You Can Do Feels Amazing

[00:00:00] Foreign what's Worthwhile Healing Mind, Body and Spirit I'm Ramsey Zimmerman. I choose peace of mind, vitality of body, and joy of spirit over stress, exhaustion, or overwhelm. Together, let's explore and pursue the many ways to build holistic health and wellness. [00:00:30] Hey there, It's Ramsay here. I didn't mean to do another podcast about running. I really didn't. But here we are on a run the other day, I didn't just feel okay, I felt amazing. [00:00:42] When I run, I like to finish strong. Not just strong as in I made it. I mean, like, I like to sprint at the end. The first time in life that I did this was in gym class and maybe seventh grade running the 600. [00:00:56] When I sprinted in at the end, my gym teacher yelled at me and he was like, if you can run like that at the end, then you didn't run hard enough in the middle. What was that? Encouragement? Criticism? I'm not sure. Never mind. Point is, these days I've embraced the sprint at the end. A little reckless maybe, but I like to light it up. At the end, I felt even better when some random dude walking his dog gave me a high five. Gotta say, I did enjoy the attention. [00:01:26] So on the next run, I had a chance to pay it forward. I was running more hills and I saw a guy steadily, laboriously pedaling his bike up the hill in low gear. As I passed him at the top of the hill, I gave him a thumbs up and a great job. He looked up, surprised, lifted his eyebrows, and smiled. I wanted to encourage him, but maybe I just distracted him. He wasn't looking for attention. He was just putting in the work. And he was in the flow. They talk about something called the flow state. That's the feeling when you are completely engaged in something you enjoy, something you are familiar with, something that is challenging but not overwhelming. It's kind of a harmony. Your body knows what to do. Your mind is clear. Everything else melts away. You are doing the thing and it feels like maybe you were made to do it. That flow state does not happen automatically. You do not stumble into it while binge watching Netflix or scrolling social media. [00:02:24] It takes practice. You have to move through awkward and uncertain stages. You have to train. You have to show up on the days when you're tired or sore or just not in the mood. But when you do, when you do what you can do and you do it regularly, if it starts to feel amazing. So here's the point. Doing what you can do feels amazing. And the key part of that Sentence is can not what someone else can do, not what you think you should be doing, but what you actually currently, truly can do. Because what you can do is beautiful. It's right. Each of us is built differently. We each have a body that works a certain way, a mind that makes connections in its own unique style, and a spirit that is drawn to particular forms of beauty and truth. We all have different gifts, and those gifts are not given to sit on the shelf. They are meant to be used, not to impress, but to bring joy. For some odd reason, I can run fast, even when I'm tired. Maybe your thing is painting or baking or organizing chaos. Maybe it is noticing and listening to people that others overlook. Maybe it's lifting weights or lifting up others. Maybe it is riding or running or raising children or planting flowers. Whatever it is, if it is something you can do, something you enjoy doing, and something that challenges you just a little bit, then do it. Do it again. Do it with intention, because that is where you can find the flow. And if you feel like you cannot do anything, well, I get it. I do. I have times when I feel like I can't do anything. Like I'm spent. Like the most I can do is sit in my chair and breathe. But it's not really true. I don't believe that about you either. Not really. Because everyone can do something. And once you start doing that something, you get better at it. You build skill, you build confidence. You build energy. And then it begins to feel amazing. So do what you can do right now with what you have. It might be small, but if you do it faithfully, joyfully, and with love, it will grow. You will grow. And suddenly you will find yourself finishing strong, surprising even yourself with how far you have come. Maybe somebody will give you a high five out of nowhere. Or maybe you won't even want any attention because you'll be too wrapped up in doing what you can do. Doing what you can do feels amazing, especially when it is something you were made to do. Especially when it brings you into the flow. Especially when it reminds you that your body and your mind and your spirit are still capable of so much more than you knew. And for today, that is enough. [00:05:06] Where to go from here? Visit whatsworthwhile.net to learn more about me, Ramsey Zimmerman. And please reach out to me and let me know what you think. I don't want this podcast to be some message in a bottle thrown out to sea. I want to hear back from you. Please send me a message or an email or hit me up on X, LinkedIn or Instagram. And please leave a rating and review for the what's Worthwhile podcast on Apple, Spotify, Spotify, Iheart or Amazon. Thanks.