Can't is Just a Faulty Concept

How did we get to Friday already? Has this week flown by, or is it just me?

I attended a web-based meeting last night (I love being able to attend meetings while sitting at home in my bare feet!), and one of the participants shared a quote that made me stop and think. I'm glad she shared it towards the end, because it's the kind of quote that, once I hear it, shifts my focus from what else is being said as the quote begins to work its way through my thoughts.

The participant quoted the great coach, John Wooden. Now let me quickly state that I'm not a sports fan, and I have no idea who John Wooden is or what team he coached - I don't even know what sport he coached (I can almost hear the groans of every sports fan reading this, so please bear with me!). However, I have come to understand that he was/is (I don't even know if he's living or not . . . ) an outstanding motivator, which is undoubtedly why he became a great coach. (Note: I know I could do a Google search and find out everything I ever wanted to know about John Wooden, and maybe I will - later!).

Anyway, back to the quote: "Don't let what you cannot do interfere with what you CAN do!"

I love that quote, because it calls for us to make a fundamental shift in how we think about things. For most of us, we tend to focus on what we can't do. When looking at a black dot in the center of a white sheet of paper, we see only the black dot, not the vast white open space surrounding it. We focus on the obstacle and allow that focus to blur our vision for anything that lies just beyond the obstacle.

It's so easy to decide that there are certain things that I "simply can't" do. As I shared in my blog a couple days ago about my experience in breaking through the one-inch board, I "knew" that I couldn't break it, and I had a list of very legitimate reasons why I couldn't do it. That concept - which turned out to be erroneous - almost kept me from breaking the board. That concept almost gave me permission to give it less than my best, and it almost let me settle for failure. Almost!

Thanks to the encouragement and support of the people around me, and thanks to someone who took the time and had the patience to correct me a second and a third time, I broke the board and demolished a false concept in one swift and decisive motion.

There are so many things we think we cannot do, and most of what we think we can't do is just a faulty concept. We have the ability to do so much more than we give ourselves credit for! Sometimes we're afraid to even try because the "can't" is so deeply embedded. If we start doing what we know we CAN do, and if we are willing to keep trying and stretching, we will go a lot farther than we ever dreamed possible. We will see many of our "can'ts" transformed into "CANS!"

We've failed on other weight loss plans, so the "I can't lose weight" concept is deeply embedded - but it's a false concept. Maybe you think you can't lose weight, but you CAN choose to eat 5 Medifast meals today and have a lean & green :-). Don't let what you think you can't do (my revision of the quote!) interfere with what you CAN do!

We're facing another weekend, and summer weekends with their cookouts and fun activities are filled with challenges for most of us. Don't focus on what you can't have, and don't allow yourself to think that you just "can't" stay on plan. Focus on what you CAN do. Figure it out - make a plan and stick to the plan! You CAN bring your own meat and salad, if necessary, to the cookout you're going to attend. You CAN have a good time, even if everyone else is eating something else. You CAN go on vacation, have a wonderful time and come home weighing less than when you left.

Don't allow what you think you can't do interfere with what you CAN do, and more importantly, don't let those false concepts keep you from what you REALLY want - getting to your goal.

Who's committed to an on-plan day today?