You Can Be & Do What You Want is a Lie.
The top lie your parents told you that you never challenged….
Your parents, teachers, coaches and many other people you respected as a child told you this lie. “You can be or do whatever you put your mind to in life.”
We all say it because we want to encourage our kids and one another to build their confidence.
Not realizing we’re making a critical mistake that could impact their future.
Let’s keep it real, we all have big dreams and goals in life. But the problem is that when we fall into the “you can do anything trap” we are setting ourselves up for future discouragement.
Think of all the kids that have participated in things to only please their parents and because they’ve been falsely told, “you can do it”.
This also doesn’t mean you tell them they can’t do it either. There are some critical steps we will discuss that you must take first.
This article will challenge that popular quote and help you realize that it’s been a lie for many years. Unfortunately this lie is still being passed on to kids all around the world. After reading this you will understand what they are really trying to say.
As a kid I would experiment with all kinds of things just as I do today as an adult. I would rush to tell my mom what I was attempting to do and she would reply the exact same way every time.
“Eric, that is great son! I know you can do it… you do anything you want to do.”
While I always left away confident, loved and supported. I didn’t realize she was telling me what I “wanted to hear” but not what I “needed to hear.”
The truth is I wasn’t going to be able to do many of those things simply because I wasn’t good enough. Now, I could certainly get better at those things but I would spend my whole life trying to maximize my talent for something I wasn’t meant to do or be.
That’s the point where you have to draw the line and understand where the lie lives within that quote:
- Michael Jordan wasn’t mean to be a golfer
- Tom Brady wasn’t mean to be a hockey player
- Jeff Beszos wasn’t mean to be a manager Starbucks
- Serena Williams wasn’t mean to be a volleyball player
- Oprah Winfrey wasn’t meant to be just a news reporter
Your first job to achieving your dreams and truly being able to do what you want to be is finding your purpose, passion and what you’re “meant” to be or do.
Without that you will be chasing dreams that truly aren’t meant to be for you. This is the key reason why the “you can be or do what you want to do…” is a complete lie.
This may seem a bit harsh as you’re reading this but this is the truth for most people in the world. We’re aimlessly chasing (unknowingly) dreams that aren’t truly ours. Chasing a job without knowing why we even show up everyday other than for bills and many other things.
This is your moment to snap out of it and wake up to start focusing on what you’re meant to do or be.
Once you discover what that thing is, that’s when the quote becomes the truth for you.
Before you continue this cycle with your kids be sure to confirm what their passions are first.
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