Workin' and Wednesday Word

Headed to work like usual. Since today is Wednesday I'm gonna introduce the "Wednesday Word". The word today is (しょうがない or しかたがない) said "Sho ga nai" or "Shi kata ga nai". These two phrases are heard quite often in Japan and roughly translate to "It can't be helped" or "There is nothing you can do". As an American, this phrase seems strange, cause there was always something I could do. I never felt totally helpless.