I Can't

I kind of like acronyms because they can help me to remember things - at least if I can remember what each letter stands for!  Here's an acronym that made me wince, but the more I think about it, the more I kind of like it:  I CAN'T

I
Certainly
Am
Not
Trying

As I said, my first reaction was frankly pretty negative.  I think this probably stemmed from the fact that I have said, "I can't" on numerous occasions - and thought it even more often.  So many times when I've faced a challenge, my knee-jerk reaction is to think (or say), "I can't."  Of course, the minute I decide I can't, I can't - and I don't.  Why bother trying if you already know that you can't do it, that you can't succeed?  Why should I set myself up for failure when I've already decided that it can't be done?

I've known several people who desperately need to lose weight but who refuse to try this program for even a month because they are so sure that they can't lose weight, or they believe that they can't keep it off.  Rather than risk failure, they decide to not even try.  Their "I can't" may be the result of multiple failed attempts at losing weight, causing them to believe that any effort, no matter how valiant, will only end in failure and disappointment.

Most of the time when we say or think "I can't", the truth is "I don't want to."  People may say "I can't stay on plan on the weekends because we eat out", but what they mean is "I don't want to stay on plan on the weekends" or, perhaps most accurately, "I choose to not stay on plan on weekends."  Other "I can'ts" may include things like "I can't stay on plan because I cook for a family" or "I can't stay on plan because I travel, or I'm going on vacation."  

The reality is that we all have a long lists of "I can'ts" that run around inside our heads, and the "I can'ts" go far beyond staying on plan.  Saying "I can't" keeps us thinking we are helpless victims of circumstances beyond our control.  Believing we can't keeps us stuck where we we are. 

It's amazing what we CAN do when we decide that's what we WANT to do!  It's amazing what we CAN do when we try, even when we're sure we can't.  It really comes down to what we choose to do.  Choose wisely :-)