It is way too common to hear the words “I can’t” on a daily basis. As a personal trainer and group fitness instructor, in particular, I hear these words multiple times a day from multiple people. Well, the thing is if you say, “I can’t” you have already convinced yourself that you are unable to do something without even trying.
I can’t run
I can’t control my diet
I can’t control my weight
Mindset Matters – Negativity is a Poison
Phrases like, “I can’t” are the easiest way of giving in to a negative mindset. Lets take running for example. How many of you have heard yourself or someone else say, “I can’t run”. Well, have you tried? Have you trained? Have you practiced?
Anything new is going to be uncomfortable, and running is no exception. I would even go as far to say that running absolutely sucks when you first start doing it. You feel out of breath, you feel uncomfortable, you feel tired, and your body may ache. You are not unique. Everyone experiences this the first few times they try. The problem is we quickly give up, giving into the “I can’t” mentality.
When you decide to allow your mind to succumb to negativity your body physically will follow. Your mind, in fact, will give up on average 50% more quickly than your body actually will. That means, even though your body may be feeling tired and sore, it can actually keep going! Our bodies are incredibly resilient, intelligent, and not to mention strong AF! However, our minds are weak. Well, not really, as we have evolved to want comfort and to take rest when we can. This goes all the way back to the cave man days where we did not exert energy unless is was absolutely necessary for survival like for hunting and gathering.
For most of us, this is simply not the case anymore. We need to learn to push past this subconscious desire for comfort and get uncomfortable! The very first step to doing so is changing “I can’t” to “I can and I will”.
Yes You Can
Yes, you can. Yes, it will feel uncomfortable. Yes, your mind will likely be telling you to stop, but you need to start pushing past that and embrace the discomfort. This applies to absolutely everything in your life. I use running as an example quite frequently, however, you could replace this with a plethora of other real life examples:
I can’t ask for a raise versus yes, I can ask for a raise, but I need to be prepared to feel a bit uncomfortable and be ready to negotiate
I can’t say no to my children versus I can say no to my children and need to be prepared for their reaction
I can’t cut out processed foods versus I can say no to process foods and be ready to feel some discomfort when I crave them, but choose to say no
Stop and really think about how often you say “I can’t” or just think it. I would venture to guess once you are mindful of it, you will be absolutely stunned by how often this negativity creeps into your mind. The very first step is being mindful and setting out to change this. Take control of your life and refuse to accept “I can’t” as an answer.