Where Would You Find Yourself If You Never Said The Words…
I can’t.
“I can’t.”
Really? Are you sure? Because I bet if you look a little deeper within yourself often you’ll find that you won’t. And that is different. And I’m not here to say that anyone’s reasons for “won’t-ing” aren’t valid. I’m sure they are. But don’t let yourself off the hook with an easy out by defaulting to can’t. That sounds like there are some mystical forces at work preventing us from doing something.
Can’t seems final. Won’t leaves room for change, room for possibility.
Hell, I’m guilty of “I can’t,” myself. And it makes me crazy!
“I can’t just pack up and ride away to Alaska!”
Well, technically… I could. But what would have to happen is that I would have to take an inventory of the consequences of my actions and my choices. When all is said and done and I tally up the detriment score, maybe I’ll come to the conclusion that the cost, and this isn’t necessarily about money, is too high. In which case, I won’t ride to Alaska.
One of the important things that I try to remember is that even though something doesn’t seem feasible right now, that doesn’t mean things will always be that way. It’s a long race. I need to pace myself and just keep going forward.
I have an episodic issue with my back. Transitioning from laying down to sitting or sitting to standing is terrible. At its worst, it feels like lightning coursing through my body. There are moments when I’m laying on the floor saying, “I can’t get up. I just can’t.” But… I do. I get up because I want to, because I have to. I can’t just lay there, not moving forever. And so what happens is that I will make a move that I know is going to hurt like hell for a few seconds until I can get in to a position that I can tolerate and the pain subsides. And I then repeat the process several times until I am on my feet again.
You can. Get back on your feet.
Where would you find yourself? Where would you go? What wonderful things would you do if you never said those two words – I can’t? What would you achieve if you allowed yourself to explore your potential, your resourcefulness, your resilience? Do you have any idea how amazing you can be?
Great post, and fabulous choice of works. They make me crazy, too. Especially when paired with something like “cook.” Can’t is a cop-out. Period.
There’s the potential for amazingness in all of us. Thanks for making me think. And for reminding me not to say can’t ever again. 🙂
“Can’t” and “won’t” are kind of like “need” and “want”.
yes, that’s a great comparison!
Great challenge! I’ll be thinking about this one for a little while…
Oh, I love the beginning of this post – the distinction between can’t and won’t. I makes my blood boil when I read signs like, “We can’t substitute mashed potatoes for french fries”
“We can’t accept $50 bills. Sorry for any inconvenience.”
“We can’t hold merchandise for anyone.”
It’s not that they can’t. They refuse. They WON’T.
And that “can’t” or “won’t” makes a huge difference when I’m deciding where I’ll be spending my money because I just CAN’T allow myself to support merchants who apologize for decisions in advance that they know will inconvenience people and pretend that it’s impossible for them to choose otherwise.