Many people today would benefit by you believing you can't. But, yes you can.
Many people today want to limit your ability to learn, grow, and live a full life. In spite of who they believe you to be you can live any life that you design. This 2016 video about the Paralympic participants is so inspiring. Men, women, and children display such courage in one short moment in time, but their lives are built on that courage every moment of every day. They had to overcome the handicap of mental limitations before they could move toward excellence regardless of their physical limitations. Overcoming one's mental handicaps could be the most challenging part of recovery. One must have the willpower to get up after a fall, stand on wobbly feet, and find a way around, over, and through those limitations.
We all have to overcome some form of limitation. We think we have limitations, and so we do. What ever you believe to be true is setting the standard for what you will tollerate. If I've heard my whole life I'm (fill in the blank), and I believe that to be true, my mind will manifest ways to make that belief a reality. In therapy, we challenge those beliefs and show our clients that they can change the outcomes simply by changing what they believe. There is a saying, "Whatever you look for, you will find." If you look for the good in people, you will determine they are good. If you look for the negative, you will treat them through that paradigm regardless of who they truly are. With people in addiction, there is often what we call "Black and White" thinking, meaning that a person sees everything as "All or Nothing," and everything is absolute. There is no middle ground, no compromise, no forgiveness, no opportunity for change. This fixed mindset is why addiction is so hard to overcome. But I show people everyday they can choose to overcome any challenge they may perceive.
Yesterday, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died at the age of 87. She was the second woman ever appointed and served 27 years on the nation's highest court. She was a trailblazer for women's rights and an example to all that you can accomplish anything if you just put your mind to it. She also showed that politics didn't have to be decisive. She and Justice Antonin Scalia couldn't have had more different perspectives, but they were very good friends. Together they represented what people could overcome if they only focused their minds (and hearts) toward peace and unity. Today, many will morn the loss of Justice Ginsburg as we honor another life lived by saying, "Yes, I can."