As a child, I guess I was lucky to have had a mother who wouldn’t let us say, “I can’t.” This was always followed by; “You can do anything you set your mind to.”
As small children, we soon discover that we can stop doing many things, just by saying these simple words; “Can’t”. At that moment, our parents will jump in and save the day. Are you still using the I can’t syndrome?
Silencing those two words is much easier than trying to do something. As parents, we want to help our children avoid any difficulties. I guess it’s our nature to want to help our children, to make their lives easier.
But are we really helping, or are we preparing our kids to quit smoking for life, when the going gets a little tough?
Has anyone ever told you “you can’t do that”? Did you accept this and go on your merry way, or did you take it as a challenge? Accepting someone else’s assessment of what you are capable of is just plain crazy.
How could they know what gifts you have been given? Accepting your negative thinking is reckless at best, and will prevent you from living up to your potential.
Imagine stopping to ask for directions, and the person says, “You can’t get there from here, you’ll have to start somewhere else.” Obviously, you know that this person is joking, and you will expect the real answer to come to you in a moment.
However, many people live and accept that exact answer regarding their lives. Someone tells them that they can’t be or do something, and they just accept it.
If you’re not where you want to be, with regard to your job, your education, or your life itself, do you think you can’t get the job you want, or the lifestyle you want, because you can’t get there from here? Do you feel like you have to start from somewhere else?
Of course, this sounds like fun, but it’s anything but fun. People truly believe that the situation they are in right now is holding them back from moving forward to achieve the things they want.
Going back to the management scenario, it is possible to go anywhere, from anywhere, regardless of what others tell you.
Decide where you want to be.
Forget where you are, decide where you want to be. Make a flowchart, or map, starting with the goal, at the top of the page. On each line below it, determine the previous step and what it will take to achieve it.
Mentally review each step of the process of becoming what you want. Determine what is standing in your way of achieving that step. Work your way down the page, until you get to where you are now.
You now have a very detailed plan, or success map, that will take you directly to your goal. A step by step plan, that if followed, will get you exactly where you want to be.
If something seems too big to get over, break it down into smaller parts and deal with the small parts. Every small success will bring you closer to the goal.
If you continue on this plan, you cannot fail. It’s not possible.
The main thing to remember is You can!