Get Some Possibility Thinking In Your Life! I'm sure you like me have said or heard 'I can't' many times in your life. What happens when you say it? For me, it means finality, a full stop, the end. 'I can't' and that's it, and there's no point in even trying.

For instance, I would say 'I can't do this' whenever faced with something difficult and rather than work out ways to get through the apparent brick wall in front of me, I would just give up without even attempting the task. 'I can't write this article' is a common phrase I was used to uttering! 

I reckon that this 'finality' must have meant the same to my mother who used to say to me 'there's no such word as can't' in an effort to get me to think differently and at least try. It didn't work then and doesn't now!

However, possibility thinking does work. The next time you hear yourself say 'I can't', change it to 'How could I?'. Think about it - how might this change things for you? 

'I can't do this' becomes 'how could I do this?'

What happens is that now you have your creative mind on board. It will start to think of all the ways you could do it. Some of these ways may work, some probably won't, but at least now you're thinking it is possible. You're no longer stuck and you haven't given up. You are thinking differently.  It's a completely different feeling to the despondent one that comes from the finality of an 'I can't'. Possibility thinking has an energy all its own and can also be a lot of fun, as you explore various ideas - maybe even wacky ones - that might just work for you. For example, when I say 'how can I write this article?', my mind starts thinking 'well, first of all you need a blank piece of paper and a pen and time set aside' and then I also think 'and music playing as I always get creative when listening to music' and before I know it, I've started the process.

The mind is powerful - it will seek to prove whatever we think or say. That's how the self-fulfilling prophecy comes about. We say 'I can't' and we end up doing nothing and hey presto, we've proved ourselves right - we can't do it! However, if we get into the habit of saying 'how could I do this?' our wonderful mind does all it can to help us come up with an idea that will work.

Try this for yourself and notice how much more you are now able to do and achieve. How much possibility thinking (and therefore possibilities) can you now get in your life?

Barbara Buffton was a qualified careers adviser who one day decided to take her own advice and change her career! She has had four books published, including The Which? Guide to Choosing a Career (1998). Buy her latest book here... http://www.bookshaker.com

(c) Barbara Buffton. All Rights Reserved.