People Are Doing The Best They Can

Here’s a truth I keep coming back to: people are always doing the best they can. With what they know. With what they have at the time. That includes you. That includes me. That includes everyone who’s ever frustrated, hurt, or disappointed you.

I’ve been listening to Rising Strong lately, and it hits me every time. Brené Brown writes in a way that feels like a friend who sees the world close to how I do. She gives me fresh perspectives on things I’ve already felt. She reminds me that growth isn’t about agreeing with people or forcing understanding…it’s about seeing clearly and integrating the lessons.

We like to think we see the full picture. We like to think people should know better. But the truth is, we don’t get to know everything all at once. Life unfolds. We learn in pieces. And often, what someone does or doesn’t do is just the reflection of the capacity they have at that moment.

That’s not an excuse. That’s clarity. Capacity shapes action, not character.

Think about your own life. Think about relationships, decisions, opportunities you’ve missed, mistakes you’ve made. There’s a rhythm here: we try, we stumble, we grow. And when we start to see others that way, doing their best with what they had, we stop spinning in resentment. We stop trying to rewrite the past. We stop asking why they didn’t see this and start asking what we can see now.

Integration comes in here. Growth doesn’t require agreement. It doesn’t demand perfection. It’s about seeing the truth of each moment, taking in the lesson, and moving forward without extra weight.

This perspective doesn’t make you soft. It makes you awake. You can hold boundaries. You can act with integrity. You can make decisions that protect your energy while still honoring the truth of what someone else was capable of. That’s freedom. That’s liberation. That’s strength.

So today, notice where you’ve been judging. Notice where you’ve been expecting someone or yourself to be further along than you could possibly know. Look at it. Breathe. And say it quietly to yourself: They, I, we, were doing the best we could with the capacity we had at the time.

Let that settle. Let it land. Let it shift everything.