Transform 'I can't' into 'I can!'

Transform 'I can't' into 'I can!'

No way! This was my first thought when my team came up with this crazy team bonding idea to run the #RagnarRelay race, a 200ish mile race run over a period of 25–35 hours (depending on the collective speed of the team). The crazier part of the idea was that I should be on the team. Me, who had never even run a single km ever in my life! Absolutely-no-freaking-way! But the team was short one person, and in true team player spirit, I was strong armed into agreeing to take part in this madness.

The guy who came up with this idea in the first place was a fitness freak like no one I had ever met. Since it was his idea to rope me in to the race, he got the coveted role to train me, a complete race rookie. In all seriousness though, that was probably the best thing that happened to me — I accidentally ended up with a phenomenal coach.

The most important lesson I learned from him while we were training was that instead of focusing on what I cannot do (with conviction), what if I shifted my belief to something positive — something I can do. It doesn’t have to be the belief that I can finish the race (at least not yet), but what if the conviction and belief was on achieving one thing every day that moved me just a bit closer to the end line.

So, I put together my goals for each day, and started believing in them:

Day 1, I can walk/ jog 2k.

After 2 weeks, I can walk/jog 5K

After 4 weeks, I can run 4 miles at a stretch

After 6 weeks, I can run twice in 24 hours (this was the toughest to achieve)

Every day, I can hydrate more on my run days

Every day, I can hold 1 min planks to build my core

Every day, I can recover my aching calves with compression socks

Every day, I feel just a bit more confident in what I can do!

Day before the race, I can run the Ragnar! And I did!

I have come to apply this approach to many aspects of my life, especially when I am venturing into a new area. As an #entrepreneur, I am often faced with a challenge, a situation, or a roadblock, where the mind tends to go to a negative belief — ‘there is no way I can overcome that’ or ‘I will never be able to solve it’ or ‘I can never meet that deadline’. Thankfully, over the years I have been building the #mindskill of noticing the negative belief, and then coaxing the mind into realizing that there are many things that I CAN do and focusing my energy and attention only on those areas.

So, the next time you find yourself fixating on something you cannot do, pause and think — what is it that you can do, and believe in it with all your conviction!

Cheryl Shah

Helping Professionals Align with Their Core Values, Overcome Burnout, & Build Resilience I Expert in Resilience Building & Habit Change

6 个月

Great article! All it takes is self- awareness of our patterns. Then we can begin to change the way we see things.

Smriti Jain

Partner | EY Global Risk Consulting Competency Leader | Reinvent and innovate | Diversity , equity and Inclusion champion

6 个月

Great thought Sree, and summarised so well. Totally agree !!

Laxmikant Bharadia

Enabling People and Process Transformation | Executive Coaching, Business Operations

6 个月

Awesome ??. More power to you Sree ??

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