The Stories We Tell Ourselves – International Women’s Day

Lately I’ve found myself thinking a lot about the stories we tell ourselves.

Like many women, I’ve spent a lot of time telling myself about all the things I cannot do.

I’m not good at this, I’m not good at that, I can’t run, I could never write a novel.

I could never be a mathematician. (A teacher once told my parents this. Okay, I admit it, that one is absolutely true).

But most of the time, I’m simply lying to myself.

How do I know this? Because I sometimes end up doing the things I’ve told myself I can’t.

I can run (quite fast, actually, some days).

I can write a book.

I can do all of the things I want to do.

The only difference is the small matter of a punctuation mark and a ‘t’.

For International Women’s Day – and every day in fact – why don’t we try dropping the ‘t’ (and the punctuation)? Why don’t we start telling ourselves ‘I can’ and not ‘I can’t’ ?

Please don’t let anyone tell you you can’t achieve the things you want to in life.

Especially, of course, if that person happens to be yourself.

G x