The Lie "I Can't"

My youngest son has been swimming with a life jacket on for most of his life.  Anytime we are near water he knows that the life vest needs to be on so he can be safe.  By the time he turned 6, the life vest had become a comfort zone for him, like he felt out of place without it on when he was near water. 

We had done some formal lessons so he could learn how to swim without the jacket on, but nothing stuck for him.  He wanted nothing to do with swimming without the jacket nor was he interested in getting his face wet.  To him, that vest represented safety and security and that was ok. 

Fast forward, now we are in Florida and his siblings are enjoying the pool, so he puts his life jacket on and joins them.  He started to get curious and would take the jacket off and paddle around, trying things out and then, his moment happened.  My daughter offered him goggles so he could see under the water, he put them on, took his first look under water and everything changed.  From that point on he spent more time under the water than he did above water.  Over the course of the next week and a half he started swimming above water, swimming under water, jumping in the shallow and deep end of the pool, doing jack knives and superman poses and performing front flips under water.  He is no longer afraid but confident and victorious and as his mom I couldn’t be prouder. 

So, what happened?  He got outside of his comfort zone, and it became his new normal.  He had the ability to swim physically but mentally he had a block in his mind that was stopping him from performing what he already knew how to do. 

I think a lot of us are like this when it comes to our dreams and our abilities.  As we get older, we have these comfort zones that we create for ourselves not only physically but also mentally.  These mental comfort zones stop us from taking risks and bring justifications in our minds about why we can’t do something.  The crazy thing is that if we tell ourselves a lie long enough our brain will process it as truth. 

So, I have to ask, what lies are you telling yourself about why you can’t change your job or start that business you’ve been talking about for years?  What lies are you believing about your abilities and what truth can you use to combat it?  What would you try or what would you do if you knew you couldn’t fail?

Tip:

I want to encourage you to get a journal or a notebook and as we walk this journey, write down your reflection notes.  Write down the things that come to mind each week and use it as a reflection point at the end of the month, quarter, or year.  You will be blown away by your progress and will be so grateful you took the time to document your journey.