Imagine a world where everyone in it believed in themselves, that it was possible for them to be what they wanted to be, do what they wanted to do, and have all that they wanted to have.

However, the sad reality is that in our world today, this is not a widespread attitude. There are millions, in fact I believe billions of people that put themselves down, believe that they have to ‘settle’ for what has shown up in their lives so far, and don’t believe in dreaming and setting goals because they don’t believe it is possible.

They have convinced themselves of this with simple phrases like ‘I can’t’.

Luckily not all is lost for everyone, because there are some of us out there that believe in the more powerful phrase of ‘I can’.

One such person is a woman called Donna who teaches children in a small town in Michigan. I read about Donna and her class in the book ‘Chicken Soup for the Soul – 101 Stories to Open the Heart and Rekindle the Spirit’.

Donna had been a volunteer participant in a staff development project which focused on language arts meant to inspire and empower students to feel better about themselves. Chick Moorman had been the facilitator of this course, and he went to watch Donna in action in her classroom, to see how she implemented the information she learned to a class of students aged between 10 and 11 years old.

What he noticed when he arrived was that the students were very busy writing. Looking at the paper of the student sitting near him, he was intrigued to read a long list she was writing starting with ‘the words I can’t. For example…I can’t kick the soccer ball…I can’t get Debbie to like me etc.

Chick was a little concerned as to why they were all dwelling on the negative of ‘I can’t’ as opposed to the positive phrase ‘I can’.

Finally Donna asked the students to stop writing and fold their papers in half. One by one they all went up to her desk and placed these papers into an empty shoe box. When all the papers were collected and stored in the box, including Donnas’ list, she had them all go outside to a part of the playground far away from the building.

There she had the students use a shovel and dig a hole in the ground and then placed the box in the hole.

After that thirty one students bowed their heads while Donna spoke a eulogy to honor the memory of ‘I can’t’. She mentioned that ‘I can’t’ had effected the lives of everyone on earth, some more than others. But now they had provided a final resting place for ‘I can’t’

To celebrate this event Donna and her students placed a paper tombstone in their classroom to remember this day.

How can any of us truly become successful if we keep using the phrase ‘I can’t’ Our brains are programmed to solve any problem we give it, but if we think that we can’t do something, the brain isn’t going to take the time to work on the situation. You already have the attitude that it’s not possible.

Imagine how our lives might be different if we did our own version of burying all the ‘I cant’s in our lives, and take a lesson from a group of fourth graders from a small town in Michigan?

How will you notice the language you use in future? What will you do differently as a result of reading this story?

PS. To ensure you never miss an important post make sure you go to the upper right hand side of this web page and insert your email address. Each Tuesday enjoy a post based on Jack Canfield’s book the ‘Success Principles’ and my observations on how other people (and from time to time) how I live these principles. Each Thursday learn more about the principles of personal leadership and how you can up-level your life and/or business.