“There’s no such word as can’t”, How many times did you hear that when you were little and didn’t have the confidence to do what you had been asked - or was it that you didn’t want to do something?!.

It is interesting how often people use the word can’t, even when they are grown-ups and the task they are describing clearly could be done, or should at least be attempted with a high possibility of success.

If saying “I can’t” is a habit you would like to change, there are two alternatives:

The first is instead of saying i can’t, say i won’t. This way has a nice honesty to it because you are acknowledging that the task in question is (or at least could be) possible, and that you are making a choice not to do it.

You may find that a bit too confrontational, or maybe not effective enough at encouraging you to attempt new things. An alternative approach would be to ask the questions how can i do that? and what would happen if i did?

Taking this last idea further, you could ask yourself additional questions such as what is the worst that could happen if i attempted this? (and what could you do to prevent that happening?!)

By stopping to question yourself before saying i can’t, you are allowing yourself more freedom and potential for success - which is better than giving up before you start…