When Was The Last Time You Did What You Didn’t Think You Could?

Originally published on the CareerPivot blog; updated June 2020.

Think back.

Maybe you must go way, way back in that memory bank.

Was it when you were a child?

For me, that’s when I did something I didn’t think I could – not for the LAST time but – for the FIRST time.

Doubts Feel Like…

When you were young did you have one of those extremely huge slides that twisted and curled all the way down to the ground at one of your neighborhood parks?

Do you remember them? They were incredible (in my 8-year-old eyes).

I can remember the fear I felt looking up to the top of that slide and watching the older kids come squealing down.

Oh, how desperately I wanted to do the same.

But I was so afraid.

I didn’t know what it was like up there.
It looked so big.
Deep down, I really didn’t think I could do it.
It was safer to stay securely on the ground.

Pushing Through Feels Like…

After several days of watching and wishing I could do what the older kids were doing, I finally decided to leave the ground and attempt the huge beast.

One step at a time, I climbed.
There were a million steps.
Each additional step I took told me there was less and less of a chance of ever going back.
I continued taking the steps anyway.

When I finally reached the top, I looked down both the stairs and the slide. I was trying to determine which would be easier for a retreat – to actually go down the slide or shrink down the steep path of stairs I had just climbed.

By this point, it was clear that the best way down was on the actual slide.

It was time.

With every child in the neighborhood breathing down my neck as they waited for their turn, I took the plunge!

Sweaty and sticky, my descent was not nearly as fast as I thought it would be; but that was all right with me. I closed my eyes and waited for the ground to come into view.

Victory Feels Like…

Then I felt my feet on the dirt and my heart leaped!

I had made it!

I did what I didn’t think I could.
It felt absolutely amazing!
I loved the feeling of power and accomplishment that came afterward.

I think of that slide challenge often – especially when I find myself faced with the inner doubt of whether I can do something.

Not attempting what I don’t think I can do … normally feels much safer than trying it at all.

But, just like with that slide, whenever there is something I don’t think I can do, deep down, I know that if I take just one step and then another step, eventually, I may find I can actually do it after all.

Safely On The Ground…

Believe me, it’s always “safer” to stay right where you are – in the ‘familiar.’

Especially if you’re “more mature” like me, being “safe” tries to keep you on the ground more often now than it might have as a child.

Has the safety of “common and routine” become your mantra?

It’s easy to do.

Safety feels nice.

But What If…

Wouldn’t it be wonderful to accomplish something this year that seemed out of reach just last year?

To feel that strength, power, excitement, and accomplishment from truly overcoming that fear?

For me, the most recent attempt at doing something I didn’t think I could do was leaving the 9 to 5 office and taking those skills to work as a Virtual Assistant instead. I now work while I travel or just from my home office.

I choose the hours I work, the location I work, and choose only the work I love.

And I absolutely love every minute of it!

I’m here to tell you that the feeling of strength and power is there once again – just like when I was a child

As an “older” person in the world, I love that it’s never too late to do what I didn’t think I could.

And I plan on doing it until I leave this earth.

What about you?

When was the last time for you?

Has it been too long?

Maybe this is the year for you to change all of that!

Let’s do it!

What dreams have you buried? Is it time to pull them out, dust them off, and go for them?