Stop saying I can’t

Over the past 2 years I have made a conscious effort to stop myself from saying ‘I can’t’. These words immediately admit defeat before the task has even been carried out. I am better than that. I know that now. Sure there are thing I can’t do like:

• Fly a plane or helicopter
• Perform open heart surgery
• Drive a formula one car
• Run a 1:59 marathon (well not yet anyway!!!!)

But if I really wanted to do any of the above, I could. And how could I do this you ask? With time, desire, hard work, determination and belief. Nothing is out of our reach, we just want to want it and want it bad. We need to ensure we are taking the steps to at least try and make what we want happen, because if we don’t try it goes without saying, we are never going to get it.

Diet and Fitness

For me, I have worked hard at both my diet and fitness and after 10+ years of refining my diet, I can say I am eating to what suits me.  When it comes to what I eat, I am more than happy to use those words ‘I can’t’ and I feel comfortable with that. I know my limitations when it comes to how much I eat, I obviously know what I can eat (and that’s 100% plant based) and I know what I don’t want to eat (highly processed food like products). The ‘I can’t’, ‘I won’t’ mentality has helped me set boundaries that are not restrictive but more life changing and complementary to living a life with boundless energy & endless nourishments. ‘I can’t’ when it comes to food choices isn’t always a bad thing.

Stop putting yourself down

When it comes to fitness, the last two years have been momentous for me, you could almost say life changing.  What started out as a desire to improve my marathon time and run 42.2km feeling challenged but not defeated has turned into a lifestyle where there are no boundaries and being comfortable means I am uncomfortable. The ‘I can’t’ part of this didn’t happen straight away. Of course we doubt ourselves, it’s easier that way isn’t it? It’s easier to put yourself down, fear the worst in order to avoid disappointment when the plan doesn’t work out the way you had hoped.  But I didn’t want it to be this way, this way of thinking wasn’t productive and it was actually causing more harm than good. The hard got even harder when I went into the task saying saying ‘I can’t’. So how did I change this? I changed my attitude and everything suddenly got easier (well not in an easy easy way it just became less stressful).

Challenge  yourself

I had never ridden a road bike before, I had never raced in a triathlon or swam competitively in the ocean and now at the age of 38 I was giving it a crack. I wanted to challenge myself but what I have learnt about myself since starting this journey has even surprised me. I am still not comfortable lining up at the start line of a swim but I ‘just do it’. I question my ability at times to ride strong & fast but ‘I just do it’ and I wonder if I will ever run wishing I had stronger legs but ‘I just do it’.

Train hard

I train hard. I train bloody hard because I know the hard work put into training equals a rewarding race. Every training session has a purpose and I am forever mindful of this. I relish in the opportunity to push myself beyond what I thought was capable and are humbled by those who see something in me that I don’t see myself. I want to do great things, I want to climb mountains( and stay upright) and I want to believe I can do anything and use sparingly those words, I can’t.

Am I scared of failure? Yes of course I am but that does not stop me from giving it a red hot go for I will be a better person if I fail than if I never gave it a go in the first place.

So next time you say ‘I can’t’ or ‘I could never do that’ ask yourself, why am I saying that? What is stopping me from doing that. If it’s just not your thing then fine, that’s all good but never discount your ability to push yourself into a place you have never visited before because you might just surprise yourself and like it there!

I CAN

Welcome to my Tarian world. A world of ‘I cans’ all 100% powered by plants.