The Confines of "Can't"
“Can’t” is a funny word. It’s used so often, and yet we never fully realize the weight of the word. “I can't do this”, “I can’t believe he or she did that”, “I can’t have that”, “I can’t live up to that”, “I can’t be that person”, “I can’t, I can’t” I can’t”…. ENOUGH. Enough with saying all of the things that we can’t do, or be. Let’s start talking about all of the extraordinary things that we can do, or can be.
We live within the confines of “can’t”, confines we created ourselves, whether they were created out of fear, out of prior experience, out of negative self-image, or out of comparison. The word “can’t” acts as a thief, stealing our potential and our confidence. When we say to ourselves that we are incapable of doing something, whatever that may be, it becomes a construct that we believe, whether we realize it or not. The conversations we have with ourselves, be it positive or negative, are what we manifest in our daily lives (Buddha wasn’t kidding when he said that “what we think, we become”). So when we are having these negative, limiting conversations with ourselves, we are actively limiting our individual potential, and creating constraints that hinder us from moving beyond the confines of “can’t” and moving beyond ourselves into infinite potential and opportunity.
You know the phrases, “I can’t be that healthy”, “I can’t create something that successful”, “I can’t be that positive”, “I can’t make that move”, “I can’t do that, it’s too scary”, “I can’t feel that way, it’s too vulnerable”, and the end-all-be-all: “I can’t fail”. Guess what? YOU CAN. You can be anything you want to be, and you can do anything you want to do, and you can fail. And no, this was not ripped from every childhood storybook or movie that said you can be anything you want, this is stripped from the pages of life experience, from lessons learned. Nothing will ever change until we change the way that we speak to ourselves. This is ten fold—the way in which we speak to ourselves affects our potential to succeed, to create, to live in the present—and it affects the way in which we relate to the world and those around us.
Positive affirmations and self-confidence have the power to transform our interaction with everything around us, and everything inside of each and every one of us. Just when you think you can’t, know that you can. You can create the business that you’ve always wanted to. You can learn that skill you’ve put off for the last ten years. You can quit your job in pursuit of what you’ve dreamt of pursuing. You can love yourself. You can live in the present. You can be enough, because you already are. Everything you think need, you already have. And everything you think you don’t have, you don’t need. You can, and you will.
“Kelsey is a twenty-six year old purveyor of unified wellness with a fervent love of yoga, positive energy, and people, currently living and working in New York City. Kelsey is the creator of The Mindful Chef, a wellness blog that was born from that very love, as well as a genuine passion for cooking wholesome, nutritious meals that nourish the body and the soul. Kelsey’s goal in creating The Mindful Chef and authoring various wellness pieces was to develop an ever-changing and growing inspirational platform that could provide the tools to help you through your very own wellness journey, while fostering a community filled with support, encouragement, and positive vibes. ”
INSTAGRAM: @themindfulchef