I can't do that.

I was in a conversation with an acquaintance.  She told me of her difficulties of finding work.  And indeed, in this retirement town, finding a livable wage is a challenge.  

Ever being the coach, I asked her, “Have you considered starting a side hustle of some sort?” 

“I can’t do that,” was the instant reply.  She went on to explain that she just wasn’t entrepreneurial.   While she went on why this was not a good idea, I was reminded of something Ford said, “Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re right.”

The sad thing is that most of the time we play that answer back to ourselves without even being aware of it.  

If you find yourself saying or thinking “I can’t do that,” I encourage you to challenge it.  Is it really true?  Certainly, sometimes this is true.  I can’t become an Olympic gymnast.  I’ll never be a physicist.  I can’t rebuild a board from sawdust. 

I can’t do that is generally more nuanced than those examples though.  And more often than not, your supposed inability to do something is usually hiding a fear and feeding a limiting belief.