I used to think that there were many things that I simply couldn’t do.
I thought that they were little things. But they weren’t. They were big, BIG things.
I used to say…
I can’t take a moment during a busy day to pause and to be still. I have too much to do.
I can’t schedule activities that are not work-related during the week. I am too swamped for that.
I can’t say ‘no’ to increased workloads, added responsibilities and invitations from friends and relatives. I have to make the time for it. After all, isn’t that part of being a productive adult?
I can’t take steps to change the trajectory of my life. I’ve invested too much time and energy to get where I am and so I must continue on this path.
But by saying “I can’t”, I was limiting the things that I actually COULD do. The restraints and restrictions that I had abided by were all in my head. They weren’t real.
A great release came when I discovered that the only limits on the way that I live my life are the ones that I place on it.
And my perspective shifted.
One by one, I started turning my ‘cannots’ into ‘cans’. I started to challenge the restricting beliefs that I held and started to say ‘yes’ to things that sparked in me a passion for life. By allowing myself to say ‘I can’ to little things, I started to see BIG changes in my outlook.
There are still things that I say that I cannot do.
I CAN’T allow the expectations of others to determine the choices that I make for myself and for my family.
I CAN’T ignore the call coming from deep within to pursue a life of meaning and of purpose.
I CAN’T continue to accept that feelings of overwhelm are my natural state and that I must constantly rush in order to catch up to the speed of life.
I can pause.
I can breathe.
I can reassess.
I can make adjustments to my course.
I can create a life that I am excited to live.
I can.
And so can you.