Claiming Defeat Before Trying

Does this conversation sound familiar to you? “I can’t do that. Have you ever tried? No.” I have a bad habit of claiming that I don’t know how to do certain things. The catch, is that most of the time I have never tried the things in which I speak of.

While talking with a friend a few months ago, I mentioned that it would be fun to write humorous posts. My posts generally lean to the serious side and at times that can get boring. It would be fun to mix it up with some funny material, but I don’t have the skill to write that way. My friend then asked something along the lines of, “Have you ever tried?” I had to admit that I hadn’t.

I did try later, and so far have failed at every attempt. My funny posts still sound serious. At least now, I can honestly say that I don’t have the skill, which is okay.

That conversation was an eye opener. How many times in life have I not tried something, simply because I’ve already convinced myself that I can’t do it? For example, I would love to be creative enough to decorate my home as they do in home magazines. Have I tried? No.

Then, there’s painting. The other day, we were strolling through a hobby store and I was filled with excitement while looking at all the various painting supplies. Soon I became discouraged at my inability to paint and walked away.

A few minutes later, that conversation with my friend came to mind once again. Have I ever sat down and seriously tried to paint? No. So, how can I say that I can’t? Up until my mid 20’s, I had multiple notebooks filled with drawings. Obviously, art is a passion of mine. Why then, should I allow myself to become defeated, without at least trying first?

In life, many of us are afraid to try new things. Sometimes we’re also afraid of making improvements on what we already have. For example marriage, family and career. We don’t know how to accomplish what we desire, so instead of taking that first step, we take no step at all.

We may be afraid of failure, wasting our time, or afraid of what others might think. Unfortunately, our fears cause us to miss out on many opportunities. The world is full of endless opportunities, yet we sit in our bubble while watching others grab hold of theirs. Then we complain, because we haven’t accomplished what we’d like to. Whose fault is that? Most of the time, it’s the person in the mirror.

We all have the potential to do whatever we want. The only thing standing between us and our dreams, is us.

If we haven’t tried to become, do or improve something, how can we say that it is not possible? As I tell my son, anything is possible. We can do anything we set our minds to do. We can be successful, reach our goals and live up to our potential. We can become the person we want to be. All it takes is effort, determination and desire.

The picture above is a great example of this. Why stand there staring at the wall, when you can go around it?