I was talking to a friend the other day about a difficult situation she is going through. I am not sure why this particular conversation sparked such an awareness of vocabulary, but I suddenly noticed how often she used the phrase, "I can't..."Have you ever stopped to think about your word choice? After this conversation, I realized that I also use the word "can't" quite often. I stopped to think about The Secret and the law of attraction and realized I have been a little out of practice lately! I saw a movie recently and one of the quotes in the movie was, "Stop looking for obstacles...start looking for magic!" To be honest, I didn't even pay a whole lot of attention to the rest of the movie after that line because I was so struck by such a simple concept.
I found myself analyzing my own life and my perception of the future. Although I have goals and dreams and high expectations for my future, at times I tend to think, "no, I can't do something like that. I'm not smart enough. I don't have the money," etc. etc. etc. WHY do we doubt ourselves?!? Instead of thinking of everything we can't do or don't feel capable of doing, we should begin thinking of the things we CAN do. Now, realistically, I'm sure there are things in life that we simply can't do, I'm not negating that fact. But why waste so much time focusing on those things if we can't or choose not to do them?!? Why not take all that energy and put it into the things we know we can do?!? And then, slowly, as we begin to focus on the small possibilities in life, I promise we will be amazed at how quickly those possibilities become endless.
I know it's cliche and I know it's borderline cheesy...but I am a firm believer in the idea that we create our own destiny. I know I have gotten stuck in ruts, as we all do at times, where it seems like the world is against me and nothing is going right. But as I think back on those experiences, I genuinely believe that my frame of mind is what kept perpetuating those difficult times. Had I been more positive from the beginning and learned to take those situations as lessons learned and small matters compared to the big picture, things would not have gotten as bad as I perceived them to be.
So...from here on out, I will do my best to focus on what I know I CAN do. I mean, honestly, we can always TRY, right?!? Instead of saying I can't run a marathon...why not say I CAN TRY to run a marathon? And then, if you find it proves to be difficult or too time consuming, you can always say you tried and have, at the very least, gotten in some good exercise for as long as it lasted! For those that struggle with ed and find yourself constantly saying, "I can't eat that," or "I can't keep this food down," think about what you CAN do. There are things that you can eat, you know your safety foods, and you know your limits. If you are having a rough day, stop thinking of everything you can't do and stick to what works for you. Then, when you feel stronger, you can begin stepping out of your comfort zone and attempt those things you have always told yourself you can't do, and at least say, " I CAN TRY!!!" I realize it is easier said than done, but I also feel that on some level, that is simply a cop-out. Life is hard...everything is easier said than done! But life, in order to be productive and meaningful, must also present challenges and obstacles. Just like they say that rules are meant to be broken, the same thing goes with obstacles...they are meant to be conquered and surpassed! But we have to make the conscious choice of convincing ourselves that we CAN, in fact, do it!
There is no failure in trying...there are no regrets when you have given it your best...but there can be enlightenment and growth in everything we at least attempt to do.
