When People Tell You That You Can't, You Just Smile And Say, 'Watch Me'

“Can’t” is a word that shouldn’t be a part of anyone’s vocabulary. I refuse to believe that things can’t be done. Even in the popular saying, only an apostrophe makes the difference between impossible and I’m possible.

Have you ever noticed that some people are sometimes a little too quick to tell you why something can’t be achieved? It might be embarking on a type of project you’ve never done before. Creating a new product, launching into a new country, or even applying for a great new job. Or any number of endeavors.

Can’t is a word used by people who are just projecting their own fears out into the world. By doom and gloom merchants. By people who can’t see past their present limitations, not taking into account that given the right mentality that, they too, can begin manifesting their dreams at a rapid pace.

It’s much easier to make excuses not to do something big and overwhelming than to simply put one foot in front of the other and start chipping away at the not-so-glam work of making your dreams come true.

Why do people do that? It’s probably a fear of making a mistake. Fear of failure. Fear of embarrassment. Maybe they’re fearful of change. I think it’s a totally normal and healthy human response to feel all of these things when embarking into the unknown, when taking risks. But if you recognize that this fear is just a passing emotion that doesn’t necessarily have to stop you from making any moves, then you might be able to set yourself free. Miracles are just a shift in perception from fear to love.

For some people, it’s just safer to do nothing rather than to try something new. They can maintain the status quo. They don’t want to rock the boat. They’re in their comfort zones. But, life only really begins at the end of your comfort zone.

It’s overwhelming to imagine what a different world we would be living in if everyone listened to those who said it can’t be done. It used to be thought that it was not humanly possible to run a mile in less than four minutes. But on May 6, 1954 English runner Roger Bannister broke the four-minute barrier with a time of 3:59.4. Now it’s almost commonplace. Some high-schoolers have accomplished it — and the current record is 3:43.13.

Soaring through the air in a flying machine. Can’t be done, said the skeptics including the Wright Brothers’ own father who scoffed at the idea saying that they should leave flying to the birds.

Going into space? Can’t be done, declared the British Astronomer Royal just two years before the Russians started the space age with the launch of Sputnik 1.

Landing on the moon within 50 years? Can’t be done, said a whopping 70 percent of Americans in a 1949 Gallup poll. An inspirational president and NASA proved them wrong.

Can’t is an ugly word. It should be banished from our vocabulary.

Mindset is everything. By simply making some minor adjustments to how we think and by removing the negative thoughts we tell ourselves that leave us in a place ruled by fear, we can make great strides towards our desired end result. Anything is possible if you have a clear vision and are willing to do the work.

So try out a little experiment with yourself. Attempt to not use the word “can’t” for a day to see what happens. I bet you’ll be surprised. I’d go out on a limb to say that I bet by making a few slight adjustments to your internal dialogue that new opportunities will present themselves and you will absolutely obtain new levels of confidence.

I’ve never accepted that I can’t accomplish what I set out to do. There’s simply no room for can’t in my life. Whenever I’ve been told that something is impossible or something simply can’t be done, I just smile and say: “Watch me.”

Henry Ford was someone else who proved the cynics wrong and he said:

"Whether you think you can or think you can’t — you are right."

I make it even simpler than that. The day you feel your desires, will, ambition, passion dictate a purpose, you become limitless. And, then there isn’t a single thing that can stop you.

Photo via The Dark Knight: Batman