Before You Were Told You Couldn’t

Before you were told you couldn’t, you knew you could. As a toddler your mind didn’t know doubts or limitations. If you wanted to do something you did it! With unbreakable determination.

How determined is a toddler to reach the cookie jar? If mom leaves the room they’ll build a skyscraper to get to it. They don’t anticipate any danger. Nor do they doubt that they can reach it. It’s not in their frame of thought. And when mom does come back in the room she has to pry her sneaky little kid away from his dangerous quest, because he is laser focused on what he wants and nobody is going to stand in his way.

Before you were told you couldn’t, you knew you could.

Eventually, the same fearless children who climbed the cabinets, jumped from couch to couch and wore every sparkly piece of mom’s jewelry that would fit on their little bodies, are told by the world what is and isn’t safe, possible and acceptable. They get to the age where people think they need to start fitting into a box. They’re told that 1+4 doesn’t equal whatever number they come up with. They’re mixed-up vocabulary fades away as they’re told how to say things the right way, they’re told that their imaginative stories don’t make sense and they begin to doubt everything they knew.

Before you were told you couldn’t, you knew you could.

School age children are reminded daily (many times) that there are two ways to do things- the right way and the wrong way. Their creativity becomes suppressed and they lose that childish playfulness that made them carefree and uninhibited.

The middle school, high school, college and adult world isn’t any kinder. What was once as silly as wearing “too much” of mom’s jewelry has become a creative stumbling block. Being told not to jump off, climb and jump over things makes taking risks tougher. All of the little “you can’t” restrictions have turned into doubts bigger than “Can I reach the cookie jar?”

Before you were told you couldn’t, you knew you could.

If you walk on water your critics will say it’s because you can’t swim. If you design a line of jeans they’ll say it’s because you can’t design tops. If you’re successful you must have had a helping hand. If you’re struggling they call you a failure. It’s inevitable; you’ll be judged and judged harshly. Yes, after being told what you are and aren’t capable of, you’ll be judged for doing it or not doing it.

Haters aren’t necessarily bad people. They’ve been put in a box too. And because they’re looking at the world through little peep holes they say things that are more damaging than they realize.

When you get past the fear of negative thoughts and past the words of negative people you will find freedom. Believe in the possible! Take the word “can’t” out of your vocabulary. Pray outrageous prayers and believe!

Remember this: You CAN!!