Can and can not do

July 20, 2017

 

can-do

“Note to self:”

This applies to so many things, doesn’t it? I don’t know about you, but sometimes I focus on what I can’t do and allow it to block me from other actions that are entirely possible.

If I can’t cure my disease, what good does it do to engage the mind/body connection? If it’s this painful, why shouldn’t I try to push down my grief?

Those are valid questions. I’ve thought this way, myself.

But what if we focused on just the step ahead of us? One step. As Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, “You don’t have to see the whole staircase. Just take the first step.”

There ARE things out of our control. It’s something I’ve had to think long and hard about at A Healing Spirit because what I do is all about the mind/body connection. But mind/body isn’t the only factor at work in disease or in emotions.  But can control a significant part of how we feel. How we engage with our lives.

John Wooden’s quote is a good reminder of that.

 

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31 comments on “Can and can not do
  1. This is so great! It never pays to focus on what you can’t do. When you do that, you lose sight of all the things that you CAN do, and that’s the only way to move forward.

  2. Cole Nemeth says:

    This is such a good quote! And I totally agree with what you’ve said. I’m always having to remind myself to focus on what I can, and not what I can’t.

  3. Donna says:

    As usual a wonderful sentiment to follow…I have to fight the half empty mindset. But at least I am cognizant of my scarcity thinking.

  4. Barbara says:

    Amen to that! Focusing on the negative is like majoring in the minors.
    b

  5. This is such a great reminder (said me who really needed this today)! Yesterday evening as we were reprogramming our new Dish DVR, I couldn’t set up the second TV. At bedtime, my hubby said I did a great job with all the tech stuff (he handled all the wiring and connections). I complained about the failure of the second TV and what did he say? Just be happy you set up the DVR in the first place! took my perfectionism down a notch, guess you,hubby and the universe is telling me something 🙂

  6. We could all benefit from this reminder! Words to definitely live by! Now this makes sense to me when I’m working out!

  7. Diane says:

    It’s so easy to get discouraged and simply give up because of what we cannot do. Love this quote!

  8. This is a great reminder. I have illnesses and injuries and it’s very easy to let yourself tumble into the whole “woe is me” mindset.

  9. Fear is a huge road block in success. I love this quote! I think that I am going to post it on my mirror!

  10. Lisa says:

    Couldn’t agree more! Thanks for the nice reminder. Like my husband always says: “the glass is half full, never half empty” 😉

    xoxo,
    http://www.lisaandfam.com

  11. Jeni says:

    What a great point! I love this. It’s so easy to let the can’t and cannot dictate the can. Finding the balance is tough!

  12. Joely Smith says:

    I love this! Such an EMPOWERING article and so true! We just have to get past ourselves sometimes!

  13. Marie says:

    Such a great reminder for ourselves. Sometimes we have to focus on what we CAN control to be successful.

  14. John Wooden definitely had some amazing quotes in his day. And he saw life in a beautiful way. And it’s hard to deal with things when grief faces us.

  15. Focus on what you can, forget the rest… This is the seed of success.

  16. Cynthia says:

    Very true. Such a waste of time to be focusing on what is out of our control, and yet we spend so much time thinking about it! A Beautiful thought for the weekend!

  17. This is so true, sometimes in the process of what I want and can do, I don’t do it because there is one hurdle that I think I can’t do. Thank you for this!

  18. sara says:

    I needed to read this today. There are so many things I think I can do that I really cannot do. I have started to allow others to help me, and I need to do that more!

  19. Deanna says:

    The mind and body are simply amazing what it can do!! I truly believe in it going through some things myself. Great post!

  20. This is so true!! Sometimes seeing the bigger picture scares us which may lose our confidence . So we really need to take little steps and do whatever we can. 🙂

  21. I agree in life we just have to take one day at a time specially when we are facing challenges.The works was not done in one day so take it easy and make the best you can.

  22. uprunforlife says:

    I love this because often times we focus on the stuff that we can’t do. Then we continue to make excuses because our mind keeps telling us that we can’t. But often times when we give it a chance, we find that we can do something even if it isn’t the traditional way to do it. 🙂

  23. This is great. It is a lesson I have been teaching my kids.

  24. Kim says:

    Such a great thought! I definitely need that reminder from time to time.

  25. Jennifer says:

    I love this quote. In my old job, I got a lot of quote art for the walls in the office and this was one of the quotes. It’s so easy to say “I can’t do…” but how about instead saying, “What I can do….”

  26. leighanne borders says:

    Love this quote! As a school teacher, I teach growth mindset to my students. I believe one of the first steps is to start saying I can rather than say I can’t. Some things we can change, and some we can’t.

  27. Kiwi says:

    I think the work can’t can create cancer. Its all a projection I try to eliminate that word out of my vocabulary its so negative.

  28. Gabriel Bregg says:

    Very similar to one of my favorite sayings – Don’t let the perfect become the enemy of the good.

  29. Misty nelson dawn says:

    Such a good quotes and I love to read more about this and I always need a reminder 🙂

  30. A great quote! I recently did a vlog post on focusing on what you can do instead of what you can’t do, so your post was especially interesting to me. Thank you for sharing. It is so much better to concentrate on the positive rather than the negative. Take care.

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