“I just can’t.”
“I’ll make it work!”
There exists an important and powerful force between these two statements. We all dialogue internally around both of them constantly. Heck! I’m pretty sure I say both simultaneously to myself on occasion.
So, what comprises that “force between”?
In that bucket I might toss:
- Will power
- Fear
- Motivations
- Goals
- Routines
- Habits
- Strategies
- Our social environment
And even
- The contents of our fridge
Some weeks are just crummy. We feel reactive, anxious and overwhelmed at all the things coming our way. Tangible things, like the growing to-do list. And invisible things like our security. Then come the surprises: illnesses and injuries with our kids, pets, family members and selves.
All these circumstances would be great excuses to say, “I just can’t.” Meaning I’ll stay in bed and skip my morning walk. Then I’ll gobble down a muffin and a latte for breakfast because that seems to provide temporary relief.
Or! Or we could acknowledge reality, note our situation and talk about our challenges. This is life, not excuse-making.
Yesterday morning from inside the gym I heard the door open at 5:58. I looked up and was shocked to see Susan’s face. She had been away in San Francisco for her young daughter’s eye surgery, a event that can take everything from a mama. She had been through the wringer and had every legitimate reason to step outside her system temporarily. Instead the voice that won in her head was the one that said,
“I’ll make it work!”
Susan wasn’t at full strength during her workout. Her balance was a bit off and she didn’t break any personal records. But she won the challenge of keeping to her routine.
I don’t know the extent of Susan’s self-negotiations regarding showing up to work out yesterday. But I can tell you that her habits, routines and and health strategy were all enough to tip the scales in her own favor.
I am never EVER here to judge your “I just can’t” moments. We all have them. But I still work relentlessly to serve as your guardrails- the system that pushes you daily toward an “I’ll make it work!” mentality, to hold you accountable to yourself, and to inspire you to move in the right direction.
Consider your own bucket. What comprises the force between “I just can’t” and “I’ll make it work!”? Then, the important follow-up: which of those factors can be altered so you catch yourself during the next crummy week?