Can't vs won't

Lately I have been trying to help my kids see the difference between "I can't", which they like to say, and "I don't want to" which is what they mean.  I hate to see them give up on something without even trying.  Then I realized I sometimes do the same thing when I'm running and figured I better hange my attitude as well.  

Let me explain. I had a sixteen mile run on the training plan for today, with the last eight miles getting progressively faster and ending with a mile at half-marathon pace. I was dreading the workout, not because I couldn't do it, but because I wasn't sure I wanted to do it.  I knew it would require a pretty good effort the last couple of miles, and 16 miles is just a long time to run. But I decided that while I still didn't want to and didn't know if I could run that hard, I would give it a try.  

Fortunately, when I got past I don't want to, and actually did the workout, I had a very successful run.  It restored my confidence that I was on track with my training goals and made me feel stronger. It is amazing how things are rarely as difficult as they seem beforehand.  When we give up because we don't want to try, we avoid the struggle, but miss the opportunity for success as well.  So instead of "I can't," say "I don't know if I can, but I will try."  Give yourself a chance to succeed, and find out what you can do.