Moving from 'can't' to 'learning to do'

It is easy to decide that you can’t do something.

When we encounter something difficult or what we deem to be beyond our ability we often say we can’t do it. Sometimes it is true, we can’t do it but sometimes it is just an excuse. I know that I can’t dunk a basketball on a full height ring however there are other challenges that I could probably achieve that I still say I can’t do.

In the book Excellent Advice for Living, Kevin Kelly makes a statement about this:

The fact that you “can’t do” something can be embarrassing. But if you are “learning to do” something that is admirable. There are only tiny baby steps between can’t and learning.

Often when we say we can’t do something it is because we don’t want to be seen as failing. Or maybe it will take more effort than we want to put in. This change of mindset, where the focus is on learning rather the final end goal, means that any progress can be seen as a success. It allows us to frame it as a journey rather than an expectation of immediate success and also helps identify the first steps in achieving it.

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Excellent Advice for Living

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