Hello to all my athlete friends~
(By the way, we’re all athletes. If you’re using your body to do anything you’re an athlete.)
I first heard the phrase “Can’t lives on won’t street” from my hairstylist who’s also a lifter and a cyclist. We were talking about his cardiac surgery and my bicycle crash resulting in a broken rib, punctured lung, and hip trauma. We were both back to working out and riding bikes, and wondering about folks who say “I can’t ___” fill in the blank. He said his mom used the phrase all the time. Philip Seymour Hoffman’s brilliant character used it in the movie Flawless, in which Robert DeNiro’s character has had a stroke. See it. But I digress…
I’ve thought about that phrase ever since.
“Can’t lives on Won’t Street”, and the reverse is also true, “Can lives on Will Street”.
Can’t actually reveals what we won’t do. Saying those words, or even thinking them (oh the brain does get in the way!), and you’ve set up an obstacle to success.
Both I can and I can’t have established residence in my brain. I have to work to banish the negativity. Accentuate The Positive! as Bing Crosby and The Andrews Sisters sang in that jazzy song!
We all have legit-sounding excuses like “my bad knees” (news flash: if we have knees they are not bad), or “I don’t have time” (what’s at the top of your to-do list?), or “personal training is expensive” (yes, that’s true but – priorities again?) are all exactly that – excuses – meaning please give me a pass for this thing I want to avoid doing. It might make us feel better temporarily but the end result isn’t going to help with what we want: to be a stronger, healthier, and a better human.
Saying or thinking I can’t do pull-ups really means I won’t do the work, (and maybe fail).
Saying or thinking I can’t lose weight really means that I won’t change my habits, I don’t want to take the time to learn about nutrition, and I’m not willing to commit to a plan.
Self talk I can and I will can be your mantra. Give it a shot when the words I can’t pop into your head.
Let me know what you think about latching on to the affirmative (lyric from the song 🎶)!
Thinking I can. But I could’t.
I’ll think I can again, next time!
-Polli
