20 Things You Can’t Do

You can’t do that!

It’s against the rules.

It’s not allowed. It’s out of bounds.

Sometimes it seems that we live our lives between the lines of “can’t and no.”

Life has a way of boxing us into what we are allowed to do.

However, often it is ourselves that says what we can and cannot do.

Are you telling yourself that “you can’t?”

Telling Ourselves No

We all get a lot of people telling us what we are allowed to do. Or more specifically, what we cannot do.

Workplaces are overrun with rules and red tape and people telling us what we cannot do:

– Can’t skip that meeting

– Can’t work remotely

– Can’t use new tools

– Can’t try new ways to do things

However, ironically, for most people they are their own biggest critic.

They tell themselves that they cannot do things.

Do you limit yourself?

Are you living in the world of “can’t” and “no?”

It’s possible that you are your own biggest limitation.

What Can’t You Do?

We tell ourselves, “We can’t.” We resist putting ourselves out there.

Maybe we are afraid of failing. Maybe we are nervous of what others would think.

Yet, deep down somewhere, we wonder what we are capable of.

Secretly, we even think… that we can.

“Whether you think that you can, or that you can’t, you are usually right.”

– Henry Ford

Have you asked yourself? Or do you already know what you can’t do?

Here are many of the things we tell ourselves that we can’t do:

20 Things You Can’t Do

  1. Get a new job.
  2. Learn a new skill.
  3. Skip that meeting.
  4. Overcome that obstacle to your goal.
  5. Get in shape.
  6. Be early.
  7. Get a promotion.
  8. Find a partner.
  9. Teach a class.
  10. Be stronger.
  11. Get out of a bad relationship.
  12. Make more money.
  13. Be more organized.
  14. Fail at something.
  15. Break through that wall.
  16. Be a better friend.
  17. Be loved by someone.
  18. Get your degree.
  19. Not watch TV tonight.
  20. Be happy today, no matter what happens.

What do you tell yourself that you can’t do?

Thinking You Can

What if you said you could?

What if you lived in the land of can?

It would open new possibilities. New opportunities.

Sometimes believing in yourself is half of the battle.

Try using “can” and “yes.”

Today, ask yourself what you can do.

What do you tell yourself  that you “can’t” do? How would things change if you said “yes” and “can?”

21 thoughts on “20 Things You Can’t Do

  1. Totally agree Craig. When we accept the limitations around us (self-imposed or otherwise) we limit possibilities and make it harder to achieve our goals. When we turn them around and ask ‘what if’ or ‘why not’ – then we create the opportunity to achieve our big bold outrageous goals.

    1. @KerriSalls Kerri, agreed! Sometimes we are our own biggest obstacle to our goals and dreams. 🙂

  2. Totally agree Craig. When we accept the limitations around us (self-imposed or otherwise) we limit possibilities and make it harder to achieve our goals. When we turn them around and ask ‘what if’ or ‘why not’ – then we create the opportunity to achieve our big bold outrageous goals.

  3. Absolutely right. Spot on. A world of can’t isn’t worth our time. That language locks us into a box. Can is a language of possibility. It’s the first step to realizing how incredibly powerful we are when we set our minds towards something.

  4. It may sound cliche, but I tell my daughter “You can do anything, you just can’t do everything.” Even kids (she’s 12) needs to budget their time. School, sports, friends/family. TV doesn’t make her list, her priorities are in order.

    1. @joetaxpayer True, true!

      Love this quote! Great advice to your daughter and everyone!

  5. Absolutely right. Spot on. A world of can’t isn’t worth our time. That language locks us into a box. Can is a language of possibility. It’s the first step to realizing how incredibly powerful we are when we set our minds towards something.

  6. It may sound cliche, but I tell my daughter “You can do anything, you just can’t do everything.” Even kids (she’s 12) needs to budget their time. School, sports, friends/family. TV doesn’t make her list, her priorities are in order.

  7. Hi Craig, Anne here, community manager intern at Livefyre. This is a great post, full of reminders that everyone, and I repeat, everyone should pay attention to. We mire ourselves in our own doubts. I know I have before. Sometimes I need to just take a step back and look at things realistically, and sometimes I need to remind myself that everything isn’t possible. Sometimes, though, I realize that I’m the only thing in my own way.

    1. @annedreshfield Anne… thanks for stopping in! 🙂

      Love your thought. And yes, sometimes we are the only one stopping ourselves from what we want to do. 🙂

  8. Hi Craig, Anne here, community manager intern at Livefyre. This is a great post, full of reminders that everyone, and I repeat, everyone should pay attention to. We mire ourselves in our own doubts. I know I have before. Sometimes I need to just take a step back and look at things realistically, and sometimes I need to remind myself that everything isn’t possible. Sometimes, though, I realize that I’m the only thing in my own way.

  9. Hi Craig, Another great post. The battle against “can’t” is a tough one and one even the most optimistic of us battles every day. I just posted about how as 40+ adult watching my second son graduate from High School I felt tinges of envy towards the freedom and opportunities that lie ahead for new High School graduates but then realized we all still have the same opportunities and freedom (sort of). We just need to get “can’t” out of our way.

    1. @MikeGusky Mike, love the thought.

      And you are right… we all do have the same opportunities and freedom. 🙂 It doesn’t matter if you are 20, 40, or whatever. Start today! 🙂

  10. Hi Craig, Another great post. The battle against “can’t” is a tough one and one even the most optimistic of us battles every day. I just posted about how as 40+ adult watching my second son graduate from High School I felt tinges of envy towards the freedom and opportunities that lie ahead for new High School graduates but then realized we all still have the same opportunities and freedom (sort of). We just need to get “can’t” out of our way.

  11. @MikeGusky Mike, love the thought.

    And you are right… we all do have the same opportunities and freedom. 🙂 It doesn’t matter if you are 20, 40, or whatever. Start today! 🙂

  12. @annedreshfield Anne… thanks for stopping in! 🙂

    Love your thought. And yes, sometimes we are the only one stopping ourselves from what we want to do. 🙂

  13. @joetaxpayer True, true!

    Love this quote! Great advice to your daughter and everyone!

  14. @KerriSalls Kerri, agreed! Sometimes we are our own biggest obstacle to our goals and dreams. 🙂

  15. What you tell yourself definitely makes a difference in whether you succeed or not and in what choices you make.  Good reminder on the power of our attitudes and thoughts.

  16. Good article to read when you need to be encouraged to do something difficult.

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