Can’t is a mindset that is tremendously detrimental to one’s ability to succeed. To thrive in this world, you must disregard the concept of “I can’t” – and vanquish it from your thoughts. Replace “can’t” with the notion that anything is possible – and you will be much more likely to find the success you seek. The challenges facing the next generation are quite daunting, to be sure, but with the right mindset I have every faith that they can flourish. Removing the notion of “I can’t” is critical to our success.
With that in mind, Facebook founder and CEO, Mark Zuckerberg visited a school in Menlo Park, CA, to speak about the concept of “I can’t” at an 8th grade graduation ceremony. While his speech was intended for a group of young adults, I feel the core values expressed can be applied to anyone:
-Everything worth doing is hard – Mark hits the nail on the head here. The road to success is a difficult path to tread, lacking any short-cuts. Success never comes easy – you have to work at it. You have to practice and prepare, and only through effort and sacrifice will you reach your goals.
-Focus on building friendships based on trust. Surrounding yourself with intelligent people who truly have your best interest at heart is critical to finding success. When you surround yourself with quality individuals who you trust and care about, you will find that “can’t” becomes “can.”
-Do what you love. I couldn’t agree more with Mark on this one. When you are passionate about what you do, it feels like play rather than work. People often say that I’m a workaholic, but they are wrong – I’m a playaholic. As Mark puts it, “If you actually do something you love it's a lot easier and takes on a lot more purpose."
Entrepreneurs are faced with the concept of CAN’T all the time – but our ability to overcome what we supposedly “can’t” do is what makes us successful. Tell me, when have you overcome a “can’t” in your life…?
