Believe you C A N
Growing up I told myself many things:
You can’t run
Running is bad
It is hard
It is for other people
You will never be that
You can’t be the best
Other people are the best
You are destined to be average
You can’t achieve your dreams
Other people can though
Other people will achieve what they want but you’ll always be a stop short
NO! Even writing this and reflecting back on that attitude I held for so long is making me sick.
“Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t—you’re right.”
Can’t is a dangerous word and we need to remove it from our vocabulary. We set ourselves up to fail when we say something, anything is not possible. The world throws enough at us that we have to navigate so don’t add yourself to that list of barriers.
It all changed for me when reading “Born to Run”. All of a sudden I realized I had been lying to myself for years. I had been kidding myself and holding myself back. I wasn’t going to put up with it anymore. So I went out and ran. Guess what happened? I didn’t die, I didn’t hate it, I didn’t get ridiculed.
I DID prove something to myself. I CAN do what I want.
Here is what happened to get me from swearing off running to training for my many many marathons:
I have read a ridiculous amount of books on running, taken notes and done the research
Put into practice different techniques, strength training and training schedules
Practiced with different types of nutrition and fueling
Found a plant based diet that does wonders for me & the planet
Found many communities of people through running
I have become the best version of myself and continue to grow
More confidence
Stronger, fitter, healthier
Increased energy
Healthy outlet for stress
…I could go on and on and on
No more “I Can’t”. You CAN and YOU WILL
At the age of 10 we can swear off something for the rest of our time on Earth. We feel like we must stick to this for the rest of our lives to keep our identity intact when in fact we are leaving a part of ourselves unexplored. It is all a lie you can change anything you want it is your life! Live it in the best way you can. Try the new hard things and go after the big goals.
Change your can’t to CAN. I can with the right resources, I can find my why, I can do what I never thought I could.
You can and you need to believe you can.
