Doing your best is good enough

There was a man who wanted to transcend his suffering so he went to a Buddhist temple to find a Master to help him.  He went to the Master and asked "Master, if I meditate for four hours a day, how long will it take for me to transcend?"

The Master looked at him and said "If you meditate for four hours a day, perhaps you will transcend in ten years."

Thinking he could do better, the man then said, "Oh Master, what if I meditated eight hours a day, how long will it take me to transcend?"

The Master looked at him and said "If you meditate eight hours a day, perhaps you will transcend in twenty years."

"But why will it take longer if I meditate more?"

The Master replied " You are not here to sacrifice your joy or your life. You are here to live, to be happy, and to love.  If you can do your best in two hours of meditation, but you spend eight hours instead, you will only grow tired, miss the point, and you won't enjoy life.  Do your best, and perhaps you will learn that no matter how long you meditate, you can live, love and be happy."

(From the Four Agreements, by Don Miguel Ruiz")

Sometimes we try to0 hard, push to hard and forget that point of diminishing returns. When we try our best, that is enough. When we let our goals consume us, we often sacrifice our real endgame.