I don’t vs. I can’t


Dec 21, 2022

 by LaMonte Reed
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What if I told you that changing ONE WORD can change your entire outlook?

Here’s what I’m talking about.

Let’s say you’re at a big holiday party and you’ve just finished eating dinner. 

You’re comfortably full and feel great… and then you notice dessert.

You know that after you eat it, you won’t feel so great. In fact, you’ll feel blah, bloated, and ready for a major nap!

And that’s just in the short term. You also know that stacking dessert on top of a big meal won’t help you meet your goals.

At that moment, what do you tell yourself?

“I can’t eat dessert” … or … “I don’t eat dessert when I’m full.”  

Those two statements might sound similar but they are 180º apart in mindset.

  • “I can’t” = Someone/something else is in charge of your behavior or thoughts.
  • “I don’t” = You are making a deliberate choice.

“I don’t” gives you POWER. It helps you set clear boundaries that YOU are in charge of.

It takes willpower out of the equation because it’s something you just “don’t” do. 

Try saying these statements out loud to yourself and feel the difference:

  • I don’t stay up till 1 a.m. when I have to work the next day.
  • I don’t skip my scheduled workouts.
  • I don’t eat processed foods.

Scientific research shows that making the shift from an “I can’t” to an “I don’t” mindset can make a real difference in changing your behavior.

Pretty mind-blowing, right?

REFERENCE: 

www.scientificamerican.com/article/i-dont-beats-i-cant-for-self-control