Can You or Can’t You?

July 4th is Independence Day in the U.S.   We celebrate our right to be free as a nation.  Take this perfect day to ask yourself since you have the right — “how free am I?”

I’ve been thinking about the word “can’t” lately.   I use it and am listening to others express the same beliefs.  I’m aware when I verbally express the word “can’t” or think it, and I put a stop sign up in my life.

Here’s a simple life lesson:

“If you think you can, you can.  If you think you can’t, you are right.”
Norman Vincent Peale, The Power of Positive Thinking.

The question is do you want to do something different or
do you want to be right?

Last night I was out to dinner with friends, and I listened to one person state why she didn’t have time to write.   She had an “all or nothing” belief around her art.  Either she was writing full time and not working or was working full time and not writing.  Granted it’s easier to have all the time in the world to do what we love.  When we want something, we garner all the little bits of time we can muster towards our goal.

“Can’t” shows up in my life in obvious and subtle ways. Yes, there are probably some things I can’t do now.  For example, I can’t be a ballerina on stage at this mature age.  I can still dance.

What about our beliefs that we can’t do something.   We can’t write, we are not an artist, can’t meet new people, can’t manage to make ends meet or will never find the right relationship.  When you say “can’t” how do you feel?

The biggest reason I hear why we “can’t” do something is that there is just not enough time.   Time is the same for all of us.  Why do some journey towards their goals in life and others are left frustrated and resigned?   It’s because of the word “can’t.”  As Norman Vincent Peale states “if you think you can’t, you are right.”

I’m not sure I know the exact cure for the “can’t” syndrome, accept to start to ask yourself if it’s “true” that you can’t do something.   Inquiring around your truth is a small, yet powerful, act towards moving the stop signs in your life.

Just by asking “is it true I can’t” allows you to open the door to possibilities.

Your Thoughts

I write because I need to remind myself that I can if I choose to do it.   I can learn to be a better writer, go more in-depth with my words and honor the power that words have in my life.  I choose that journey because I need to express myself.  How do you express yourself?

The more often we say we “can,” we unlock the door to feeling good about ourselves and enjoying the goodies in life.

Women’s Group Topics

Each of us is attached to our “can’t” statements, though others may see a “can.”   Share your “can’t” with others and let them provide you with other possibilities that can make it a “can.”

Be well,

Pat
“To fully enjoy the ‘richness’ of our lives, we need to stop long enough to visit with ourselves.”
(Pat Brill)

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The Art of Possibility: Transforming Professional and Personal Life  by Rosamund Stone Zander