New to The Life Uncommon? Stay up to date with the latest information, tips, and strategies by signing up or subscribing to the RSS feed.
When I was a little girl, one of my favorite stories was called “The Little Engine That Could.” It was the story of a little blue engine that, in spite of its small power source, managed to pull a huge train over the mountains to bring toys to children in a little Swiss village (or something like that). The big chant the Little Engine kept saying to itself over and over as it tugged, pulled, and worked was “I think I can, I think I can!”
Ladies and gentlemen, friends and Uncommoners, I present this story to you as a very perfect example of the Law of Capability…
Let’s recap. The Law of Capability is the Fifth Principle of an Uncommon Life, and is defined as the fact that you are only as capable as you think you are. If you think you can, you can, and if you think you can’t then you can’t. Self-fulfilling proficy is another term that is synonymous with the Law of Capability.
The reason I bring up the Little Engine that Could is because it is a perfect example of the self-talk that is an integral part of The Law of Capability. Are you aware of the way you talk to yourself? Whether we know it or not, we are talking to ourselves almost constantly. We making comments to ourselves as we watch people on the train, thinking about our grocery list, singing along in our minds to music in the car or forming the words in our mind as we read the newspaper or book. When we look at ourselves we are talking to ourselves (“I feel fat today,” “I love this shirt,” “what is that on my nose?”) and when we perform our daily activities we are quietly speaking to ourselves, sending positive or negative reactions to our subconscious.
In her article, “Positive Self Talk” at PickTheBrain.com, Evelyn Lim writes,
Most of us are in constant mental chatter. We talk to ourselves all day long and, unfortunately, this self talk is frequently negative. Often it is tainted with guilt about our past or anxiety about our future. This negativity can destroy any seed of hope that we may otherwise have in striving for our dreams.
Our actions are inspired by our thoughts. If we can change the way we think, we can begin to change the actions we take. It is human nature to seek personal growth; whether financially, emotionally, physically or spiritually. Practicing positive self talk can help us set in motion actions that will bring us greater rewards.
And self-talk is not just important for the way we act, but even the way we feel! The American Heart Association released an article stating the importance self-talk has on the amount of stress we feel in our lives, saying that negative self-talk can increase stress significantly, while positive self-talk can decrease stress.
Self-talk is the foundation of the Law of Capability – positive, encouraging self talk can make the difference between, say, reaching for that goal, that uncommon vocation, and settling for work and a lifestyle that is odious or just “ok.”
The trick to self-talk is to monitor yourself. Listen to how you think about the future, what you say to yourself about what is possible, and how worthy do you think you are. For example, what thought crosses your mind when I ask if your uncommon vocation is possible – do you say, “of course!” or “probably not…” ?
Remember what Henry Ford said, (and what Uncommoner Mary so astutely mentioned the other day!) “Whether you think you can or can’t you’re right.” Think about airplanes, submarines, space shuttles, and deep-space orbiters – do you think these things, seemingly impossible, happened because someone somewhere said “you can’t?” No Way!
(“Remember, they laughed at Jules Verne, too…” Vanilla Sky fans? anyone?)
So when you think about your uncommon vocation, tell yourself you can do it! When you think about your bank account and what needs to happen for you to quit your current job, think how close you are and what positive steps you can do today to make it happen, instead of doubting its potential.
You’ll be absolutely shocked with what you can accomplish by applying the Law of Capability!
For more great information on how to monitor and change your self talk, check out the rest of Evelyn Lim’s article, “Positive Self Talk!“
