When “I think I can” leads to “I did”
I am a big believer in the power of positive thinking and knowing yourself. There are many things I have no aptitude for… I don’t have any interest in doing those things. However, more often than not, anything I look at as an opportunity or possibility for myself is something I can see myself performing well in. There is great truth in the words “if you think it, you can be it” and “what your mind conceives, you can achieve”. If you can’t envision yourself in a role, chances are you will not excel in it no matter the support you have for that role.
Then, of course, there are times when the thing you think you can do takes an unexpected amount of time to accomplish. The Diana Nyad story. She wanted to swim from Cuba to Florida without a shark cage. She first attempted to do so in 1978 at age 28. She had three more failed attempts that proved to be experience for her fifth and only successful attempt at age 64 in 2013. I have several such examples in my own life of “I think I can” becoming “I did” after several wide misses and almost hits – my pursuit of higher education, my first home purchase, my dream of touring France on a bicycle (several years away yet). I understand what perseverance and determination can do with a goal.
What you envision for yourself is far more likely to become a lifelong passion than anything someone can drop into your lap. This is a reminder that pursuing my vision for my life is not a waste of time. Detours happen. They become experience. With experience, accomplishment is only a matter of time.
