One day at work I was enjoying my lunch break with my colleagues and talking about … well, I’m not sure what we were talking about … but the discussion did bring up things we had done in our pasts. Things like sports we played or talents we tried to develop, activities we participated in, etc. After I shared some of the many diverse experiences I had in my past, one coworker asked, “is there anything you can’t do?” To which another coworker quickly added, “No. Name something to be done and chances of Michael having done it are high.” Now, I won’t lie in that I have tried many things in my life. Just ask my parents. I have probably tried more things in my childhood than any two of my siblings put together. I have often been referred to as a Jack of all trades. Which is a title I’m quite pleased with. But the initial question got me thinking ... is there anything I can’t do? It wasn’t the intent of the question that got me thinking, but the wording of it. Lately, I’ve been really—really—getting a lot into semantics. I have been discovering a lot about the words we use and I’ve really been enjoying this. So, with this New Year on us, and the resolutions buzzing in the air, I want to pose a challenge to you. I don’t know what the outcome—if any—would be. But I am going to give it a try and would like to invite all of you to try as well. When you think about it, the word ‘can’t’ is not only extremely limiting but very much overused in our vernacular. For example, when I replayed the lunch in my mind, I also replayed it with me employing multiple responses. Such as… “Is there anything you can’t do?” “Well, I can’t play the banjo.” But…actually…I CAN! I have the ability to play the banjo. It’s not that I can’t—I don’t know how. I could learn to play if I really wanted to. Do you see where I’m going with this? We use the word ‘can’t’ too often. I don’t know why we do so. It’s most likely a cultural thing or something that was taught to us. I think that it’s a misuse of the word that has now become normal (like the word funner…ugh!) So, this new year, let’s try something new. Let’s use the word ‘can’t’ in its proper context. There are things that we simply can’t do because of our gender, or maybe we have a disability of some sort … that’s okay and there’s nothing wrong with that. But if there is something that I can do … even if it’s something that would take a long time and practice … I’m going to switch out the word ‘can’t’ for simply, “I don’t know how.” Let’s give it a try. What will the results be? I don’t know. But maybe … just maybe … in some small way, we’ll stop putting limitations on ourselves and begin to live just a little better. Maybe we’ll start to realize that we can do anything we want.
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Michael N. WoolleyThank for joining me! Here I simply share my thoughts and ideas about life. Most of it is just my personal opinion so take it as you will. If you'd like to read fun adventures, then check out my YA FANTASY/ADVENTURE tab. You can also support me on Patreon where you'll then get more creative writing content. Archives
January 2020
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