What Would Happen if You Stopped Telling Yourself “I can’t”?

Have you ever wanted something so badly, and then asked yourself, “What’s holding me back?”

Have you ever taken the time to actually write those things down?

Did you ever come to the conclusion that one of the biggest things that is standing in your way is really just yourself?

Often times, we feel like we’re held back by authority or rules, by social norms, by our friends or family — We often feel that we need approval or reassurance from others in order to proceed with doing something.

We call a friend and ask them for their opinion, we consult with family members, we find comfort in an article (such as this one) or google what to do, and then we assess the risks before taking action or making a single concrete decision.

Then, after all is said and done, we just change our mind anyways. We give up, move on, and revert back to the comfort and security of how things have always been.

We tell ourselves “No.”

We say “I can’t.”

We convince ourselves that we are incapable, that we are not good enough, not strong enough, not bold enough, or not the right person to do the job.

We ask ourselves, “Who am I to make this happen?”

We often underestimate ourselves in fear that something will actually happen if we try.

We fear that we might not like the outcome, that we might be disappointed, or that we might fail.

But, what would happen if you stopped telling yourself that you can’t?

What if you stopped telling yourself that you can’t move to a different state, that you can’t leave your job, that you can’t break up with him or her, that you can’t take that trip, or run that marathon or climb that mountain, or even be happy?

The thing is, when you finally stop telling yourself that you can’t, you’ll eventually come to find that you can.

For whatever the reason, we stop ourselves from doing the things that we want to do. We talk ourselves out of it and then justify our reasoning.

But in reality, most of the time it’s not the fact that we can’t, but rather that we don’t.

Ultimately, we hold the power to affect change in our lives, and even in the world.

Believe that you can and you will.

And at the end of the day, just remember —

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate, our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us.”— Marianne Williamson

So, ask yourself again, “What would happen if I stopped telling myself that I can’t?

What is stopping you?

What is scaring you?

You owe it to yourself to take risks in life. After all, you only get one life to live, so you might as well live it to the fullest.

“Do one thing every day that scares you”