Either way, you’re right. Can you or can’t you?

"Whether you think you can or think you can't -- either way, you're right." - Gerald Ford.

I've heard this a thousand times before, but it really struck me recently. Perhaps it was because the iFit trainer said it while she had me slogging it up a hill so high the elliptical inclined to the point where my topknot was bumping against the ceiling. (At 5'4", that happens approximately never.)

All joking aside, this quote stuck with me because I've been thinking and writing about mindset a lot lately. When I wrote about how to silence negative self-talk a few weeks ago, quite a few of you reached out to basically say, "Yeah, I really needed to hear that." Because when we simply remind ourselves that we're human, it goes a long way. So maybe, like me, Gerald Ford's words resonate with you. They are about the power of a positive or negative mindset and its direct impact on your ability to make something happen.

In fact, I love this quote because it's actually about fear and preconceived notions. Subconsciously, we might intentionally set ourselves up to fail so we can be right. It's a heck of a lot easier to say, "I can't do this" and then prove yourself right when you don't do it. Somehow, you end up feeling better about being right than worse about not really trying. Hmph.

So how do we tell ourselves we CAN do something -- and stay positive and motivated? The key is to redefine the "can." Let's focus on small, achievable goals. If you tell yourself, "I can't write this presentation," then you will undoubtedly have a tough time getting started. But what if you told yourself, "I can outline the presentation." You can (and will) do that. Next, you tell yourself, "I can write the first section." You can (and will) do that, too. Rinse and repeat until you're done. And guess what? You thought you could -- and you were right.

Even if your topknot bumps against the ceiling with each step.

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