Why do we think we are incapable of so many things? What causes us to doubt ourselves and our abilities? To look past our strengths and focus on what we can’t do rather than what we can?
Several years ago, my husband and I took a trip to the Grand Caymans and went snuba diving. Snuba is like scuba in that you have a mask and a regulator to breathe but your air supply runs to a tank that stays on the surface of the water. After listening to the instructions about snuba diving, I began to try to go underwater and breathe through the regulator. Each time I would attempt to go under, however, I would immediately come back to the surface. After several unsuccessful attempts, the instructor looked at me and said, “You can do this. But you have been conditioned to believe that you cannot breathe underwater. You just have to tell your mind that you can.”
And with that, on my next try, I was able to go under and stay under. It was that simple.
This morning at the gym, I had a similar experience. I go to boot camp where we do a different set of strength training exercises each day. Today we were doing an exercise where you kneel on the floor and then jump up into a full squat. I have been going to boot camp for three years and have yet to master this. Today, as I kneeled for the umpteenth time my trainer walked over and said, “You can do this. You have all the strength in your legs to do it. You just have to tell your mind that you can.”
As soon as she said this, I recalled the words of the snuba diving instructor. They were nearly identical. I began to shake my head in disbelief. I had just been telling myself that I was unable to do this exercise. The trainer called to me again, “Swing your arms back. Concentrate. Exhale!” and then she demonstrated the move landing neatly on her feet. I got on my knees, swung my arms back, and then jumped as hard as I could, and I did it! I landed on my feet! It wasn’t perfect and it wasn’t pretty, but I did it. All of a sudden, I could see possibilities where none had existed before.
And then I grinned like an idiot for a full five minutes.
The power of the mind is staggering. So it’s important to remember that we can override our body when it tries to tell us that it is too tired or not strong enough. I know this is true because I have experienced it. But it is also true for overcoming other obstacles. Things like wanting to write, create, sing, and dance. All the things that we perceive we are not talented enough, coordinated enough, or brave enough to do.
So, what are you telling yourself that you cannot do?
Maybe it’s time to tell yourself that you can.
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com
Bravo!