I can’t? Or I haven’t?

I thought I couldn’t tie a balloon. Until yesterday. What changed? Well there was no one else around to tie the balloon for me, and so I figured it out.

How often do we say “I can’t” instead of “I haven’t yet.” It wasn’t that I couldn’t tie a balloon (obviously) it was that I hadn’t ever needed to.

When there are silly things that we should know how to do, but we haven’t learned yet. Instead of saying “cant” say, “I haven’t had the opportunity to learn that or I haven’t mastered that yet”

Using can’t is an improper use of the English language. Think about it. If someone asked you whether you had skydived before, you wouldn’t say “ I can’t skydive” you would say “I’ve never been skydiving” How would you know if you could do it, if you have never tried, or even if you have tried, its very rare that you physically can’t, you just haven’t mastered it yet.

The simple switch of how you say things can impact your thinking dramatically and help you to be more positive about your own abilities.

Gel pens and jeans

I was 11 years old, taking violin lessons. I had a 12 pack of multi colored gel pens and a pair of sparkly jeans.

My teacher was nice, but reserved. When she told me that she loved my jeans and that I was her very best student, I was so touched that I went home and wrote it out in my different colored gel pens. I have saved that piece of paper to this day.

I don’t play violin anymore, in fact I haven’t touched a violin in years, but her words of encouragement stuck with me.

If you were to ask, I could tell you of many times throughout my life when people have said things that impacted me. I’m sure you can too.

Words are powerful, and you never know, maybe words you said to a friend will be carried throughout her life to encourage and motivate her for years to come.

Opportunity Cost

There’s a principle in business called the opportunity cost. Its the idea that everything has a cost that we don’t actually see.

If you choose to spend your evenings watching television than the opportunity cost could be that you missed out on the opportunity to start your own business because your time was otherwise tied up.

The same idea goes for someone who works an exorbitant amount of hours a week. It is costing them the opportunity of spending time with their family and friends or pursuing hobbies etc.

Sometimes things that are merely good or beneficial are not what’s best.

Consider opportunity cost before making a decision that will cost you what you don’t want to pay.

What do you want to win at?

Chances are, you have a lot to juggle in life. You are busy and sometimes overwhelmed with all the different things you are trying to accomplish. You have so many goals and skills you would like to learn too. Wouldn’t it be great if you could be musical, a great cook, an impressive athlete, the perfect spouse, supermom, and the list goes on.

There is good news and bad news. The bad news is that you can’t do everything, the good news is that you don’t have to.

A question I often ask myself is ‘what do you want to win at?”

What do you want to win at in life, this week, today, and at this moment. Whatever that is, that’s the priority. Focus on what you want to excel at, and pursue that. It won’t be everything. With this strategy we won’t be all-stars of life, but we will win, and we will win at what is most important.