Stop. Saying. That.

Several years ago, I made a promise to myself: I would eliminate the phrase "I can't" from my vocabulary. I'd realized that I was saying it a lot. And when I say "a lot", I mean a LOT. Every time I didn't want to do something or was faced with something that was the least bit uncomfortable, I'd say, "I can't." Then I'd come up with all kinds of logical, and sometimes colorful, excuses to validate why. It had become a habit that I hadn't even realized I had adopted. When I finally saw it, you can be sure, I did not like it.

So I sat down one day and really gave it some thought. What things could I really not do? The list, at first, was quite long. I was using a method I'd been taught some years earlier; the method was to not think too hard. Just focus and write. Once I'd made my list of things I thought I couldn't do, I took another look. One by one I had to cross off the majority of those things. It looked something like this:

• fly
• paint/draw
• hunt
• build a house
• act (as in "be an actor")
• compose a musical score
• train horses
• father a child

{this is a very short example of what was a very long list; just don't want to bore you....}

As I said, I made the list, then I read what I'd written. Of those listed here, there is actually only one thing that I know, at this point in my experience, that I can NOT do. Father a child. I'm a girl. I don't have the equipment for that one. All the others, though, are things I may or may not be able to do. If I make the effort to learn. If I really want to.

{Hunting is not among the things I want to learn how to do. I'm sure if I had to, I could. But I wouldn't want to. I prefer to buy my food. That's a whole 'nother conversation for another day.}

Turns out, I can draw, and train horses, and compose a musical score. At the time the list was made, I'd never tried to do those things. I figured that since I didn't know how, I couldn't. But the funny thing is, when I put my mind to something, more often than not, I can.

The flying thing is still uncertain. But not impossible. Haven't really given it my all. Yet.

The point is, there are few things in life that we can't do. It's really a matter of mindset. And effort. And belief. "I can't" is simply a self-imposed limitation. The logical/colorful reasons are simply arguments for the limitations. So I asked myself, "why would you argue your limitations???"

I'm calling your attention to this now because it's come up. Again. I seem to have slipped back into that old habit. And I'm not likin' it one single bit. Since I noticed (again), I've taken action (again) to say "I can". And when I don't want to...whatever it is, I'll say "I don't want to."

It's my life. I can do or not do what I want. So can YOU.

That's the first step in empowerment. You just have to stop saying "I can't". You have to stop limiting yourself. You have to trust that you are equipped to do whatever it is you wish to do. Or be. Or have. Because you are a Being of Light. You are fully equipped for anything you want to do/be/have.

You just gotta ditch the self-imposed limitations.

And then

Get busy.

Never, Ever Give Up

There are thousands of quotes, by all kinds of famous people, all of them certain that the key to success, however you define it, is to never, ever give up. It doesn't matter what it is you're wanting to accomplish. It doesn't matter if you're talking about a dream, or a goal, or a realtionship, or a physical battle with some kind of malady. Whether it's about love or health or money. Whether it's about living to see your daughter walk down the aisle. Or your grandbaby come into the world. Or your sister recover from cancer. No matter. Whatever it is, just do NOT give up.

There is always a reason why such adages stick around for so long. It's because they're little nuggets of truth that have been experienced over and over by millions of people who refused to quit. They were so stubborn, so tenacious, so absolutely certain that they would succeed, it never occurred to them to stop trying. 

Or maybe it did.

Maybe they had moments when they thought they couldn't take one more step. Maybe they had doubts. Maybe they thought it would kill them if they tried any more. Maybe they even contemplated putting a gun to their head or jumping out a window.

But they didn't.

They found a way to move through those doubts. And kept kicking ass. Kept holding on to their truth. Kept seeing whatever it was they were sure would come, if only they kept getting back up.

Because sometimes, when you least expect it, stuff shows up to help you along. People or happy serendipities or hallelujah days, any of which give you a shove at just the right moment. It could come in the form of a book. Or a class. Or a note from a stranger. It could be a memory or a song or a box you found with some treasure you'd forgotten all about. One way or another, that "something" arrives just before you pull the trigger and you say to yourself, "HEY! WHAT AM I DOING??? I DON'T WANT TO QUIT! THIS FIGHT AIN'T OVER YET!"

So if you're there, if you're struggling with something that's trying extra hard to kick the shit out of you, please hear this:

NEVER, EVER GIVE UP.

Miracles happen at the oddest moments. But if you curl up and quit, or load that gun and use it, or jump out that window, how will you ever know how close you were?