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February 1, 2005
I could never do that!
Too often we get into a set way of thinking and have every excuse in the book why we CAN’T do something. We tell ourselves “It’s too hard,” “I live too far away,” “I’m too old for that,” “I’m too busy for that,” “I don’t have enough money,” or “I could never do that.”
But our whole life changes if we instead start saying things like “I can do at least this,” “I can walk a mile to the bus stop and then ride the bus the rest of the way,” “I can at least use the stairs at work once per day instead of the elevator,” “I can take one class per semester,” “I can get one more hour of study in before I have to go,” “If she can do that, I can do it too,” or “I will at least try it.”
It’s not just pretty sounding positive affirmations to try to talk ourselves into something, it’s an attitude change that frees us from our own set limitations and expectations. Our realities are often clouded by our own attitudes about things and people. Why should we end up being our own worst enemy?
I’ve been called on this too many times to brush it off. Eventually I had to look at what I was saying and doing to myself. I started to ask myself, “Is that really true? Do I really hate that? Or Can I really NOT do that?” I think I am capable of a lot more than I often give myself credit for. Once I started catching myself saying things like “can’t,” “won’t,” “don’t,” “am not,” “couldn’t,” a red flag goes up and I ask the question. Too often the answer is “I can,” “could,” “want to,” or “will.” Then I had no excuses and I began to change and be free.
Posted by carl1236 at February 1, 2005 4:05 PM | Attitude