A “CAN DO” Attitude

I am so terribly sorry for my lack of continued posts this week; I've been stuck in meetings every day, and had planned to blog when I got home. However, teacher appreciation projects, homework, and just plain playing with my kids won the priority of my time, and before I knew it I was in bed thinking, "Crap, I didn't post today."

Meetings are over, weekend is here, and I will not fail you today.

My son came home from school one day boasting about his win in a field day sprinting competition. He, full of pride, shouted, "Mom! Watch! Look how fast I am!" After I congratulated him of his speedy skills, he wanted to race. "Oh, honey. I don't think I can compete with you! You're too fast for me!" He was sad and responded, "Come on Mom! You can do it." I answered with, "No, I can't. Go race one of your friends." He was disappointed in my lack of motivation…which made me wonder…"Why CAN'T I?"

Somewhere between adolescence and adulthood, we lose our CAN DO attitudes. We lose confidence in our abilities and transform from positive and eager participants to doubting and reclusive bystanders. I don't know why it happens…or when it happens…but I do know it happens. Ask any kid you know to show you what they can do…they'll give you a list of 100 admirable qualities. If you were to unexpectedly ask me to list 3 things I can do well, right now & on the spot, I would be hard pressed to answer. I could, however, probably list a lot of things I can't do anymore

But why is that? Why is it that once a boisterous and ambitious child/teenager, I am now a quiet observer of others being active? What happened?

Every person has a different story, but for me, I attribute my current "doubting Thomas" attitude to the lack of encouragement or praise by both my family & peers that I COULD do stuff. I was surrounded by other adults who were themselves discharging pessimistic attitudes, which in turn rubbed off on me. I believe it has been a great contributing factor to my current battle with my weight, because when others were running or participating in athletic activities, I told myself and others that I couldn't.

When I saw the look of sadness and disappointment in my son's face that day, I promised myself I would never again automatically respond with an "I can't" answer. I promised myself that even though it may be a futile attempt at whatever it is I'm trying to attain, I would ALWAYS at least TRY. I will always be aware that my attitude, both directly & indirectly, affects those around me, especially my children. Making myself aware of how I react to situations will benefit me physically, emotionally and mentally. Making the decision to be positive makes the world look a lot less scary and much friendlier. By having a positive attitude and accepting the outcome (whatever it may be) I have opened so many doors for future growth. And today, I am an optimistic & inspirational PARTICIPANT in life, who no longer answers "I can't".

Oh! And just in case you were wondering…I did race my son that day…and even though he beat me, the smile on his face and bear hug he gave me sure made me glad I tried.

Have a great weekend!
Keep healthy, keep safe and keep going!

Have an awesome day!

♥Fit~NOW~Girl♥