From the time we are children, we are taught to worship the power of “can.” “If you can dream it, you can do it.” “You can do anything you set your mind to.”
We never talk, though, about the power of “can’t.” I recently took a personality test and, apparently, I have a bit of a rebellious streak. This came as no surprise to me. Many of the artists and entrepreneurs I know are in possession of the same trait. For all the well-intentioned people who have told us we can reach our dreams if we believe in them, just as many people have said, “You can’t do that” or “It can’t be done.”
For some reason, whenever I hear the word can’t, every muscle in my body tenses. My husband mumbles, “Oh no,” under his breath. He knows what’s coming next. “Can’t? Did you just say I can’t do it?’ Then something in me kicks into gear to prove them wrong. It’s only impossible until somebody does it. That’s what I always say.
Does that mean you should jump pell-mell into your next adventure just because someone told you not to? Of course not. Sometimes it takes years of hard work and lots of trial and error to prove that something can be done. But if you’re a rebel, like me, you enjoy the challenge, no matter how long it takes.
I was recently asked to comment on this topic as it related to my own journey in an interview with Starstream Productions. Here’s the clip. Hope you find it inspiring.
