NOBODY ever became GREAT by saying, "I CAN'T".

NOBODY ever became GREAT by saying, "I CAN'T".

It's a phrase that's conditioned into our brains. "I can't".

Where does this come from?

Why do we say it?

We aren't born naked, pink, kicking and screaming out of the womb with this negative phrase in our vocabulary. As a matter of fact - people, by nature...are actually quite positive. As babies, we laugh, we try, we act like nothing is impossible. As young people, we are invincible -- the world is our playground. Then we grow up and all the playful dreams of our youth are squashed by the realities of our disappointing lives. 

Dramatic? Maybe...but it's a trend I've noticed again and again, even in the professional world that I live in. Perfectly capable people repeating this phrase over, and over...and over. For me, hearing this is like watching somebody file their nails on a chalkboard.

So why do we do it? Simple. It's easy.

It's easier to complain, easier to groan, moan & be negative like the rest of them. It's hard to be positive, at least...it's harder. It requires work. A proactive, solution-based approach to problems. It requires preparation, thought, foresight, troubleshooting, compromise, premature baldness and aging, stress and ultimately....time and effort.

Fear and lack of self-confidence play a role in this. The inability to believe that you, in fact, can accomplish anything. Fear of failure, fear of change, fear that perhaps you actually might not have what it takes to accomplish your dreams or get what you really want out of life. 

Even (*gasp*)...perhaps thinking that you don't deserve success or happiness in the first place.

The alternative? You don't try. You become that bitter, angry person in the back cubicle shooting down everyone's ideas, hating on their success, internalizing your own failures, complaining, raining on everyone's parade, becoming the Captain of that ship....oh, what's it called? Ah, yes...."bring-me-down".

The problem is that most of us don't embrace failure. Stay with me...I'm going somewhere with this. We are, in fact...deathly afraid to fail. But, you see....without failure, we don't learn. We don't appreciate. We don't succeed. You see, in the end, failure is actually success -- as long as we take a lesson from every defeat. You lose a few battles, but ultimately, you win the war.

Naturally, most of us want to be great at everything we try to accomplish. The thing is, eventually...you will. The reality is that aside from the Mozarts of this world, chances are when you first begin your journey towards greatness...you're gonna SUCK. And that's scary. But, the great thing about sucking? You can only get better. And after a while, you're not gonna suck anymore. You see, the people that actually make it aren't always the prettiest, the best, the most talented...they are, in fact, the people that never give up. The people that believe they CAN.

You're probably shaking your head, agreeing with this. But, will you change? Aha! That's the question. It's a hard habit to break. Once you've succumbed to the ever-increasing world of negativity, it's so hard to break the habit. But, alas, like any other "bad habit" (i.e. chain smoking, biting your nails, interrupting, not flossing) the habit of "negativity" can be broken.

That's the good news....but, how do we do it?

First, BE AWARE. Be aware how many times throughout the day you say any of the following phrases, words, or combination thereof:

"I can't"

"I won't"

"Impossible"

Next, take them OUT of  your vocabulary! Try this...every time you accidentally say it, follow it up with one of these:

"But...I will try my best!"

"However, now I can"

"At one time...but now entirely possible!"

You see, the trick is just to be aware. Once you notice how often you utilize these words, you might be pretty surprised! 

Why is this so important? Glad you asked. You see, we are what we say. We create our own world, we create our success, we create our attitude, we create our REALITY. 

Say what you want, how you're going to get it...and BELIEVE that not only will you get it...but that you DESERVE it.

Each and every one of us has a goal, a dream....and one thing is certain......it IS possible. 

Just remember...NOBODY ever became GREAT by saying, "I CAN'T".