A book of supreme authority tells us, “All things are possible to those who believe.”

Continue reading, and you’ll discover there are no exemptions, no caveats, and no restrictions. This principle is not limited by factors such as race, gender, age, nationality, health, socio-economic, politics, or the era in which we live. The infinite does not impose any conditions or limitations on us; WE DO. To live honestly, it’s essential we discard these self-imposed limitations.

Is it a thing? Then it is possible. The question is not whether you can or not; the real question is,

Do you believe?

When faced with a significant dream or goal, or when observing someone perform at an extraordinary skill level, many might conclude, “I could never do that!” However, this belief is erroneous. Of course you can!

Asserting such self-limiting beliefs does not reflect our true ability or capacity but rather our perception of ourselves. It’s an underestimation of our value, capability, and the infinite forces available to us. At its core, this is an issue of self-esteem. In reality, you, yes you, are infinitely capable.

Can’t Means You Won't

My grandfather passed away when I was about 14 years old. He never bought anything that he could make himself. If he needed a dining table, a boat, or anything at all, he would head down to his workshop and build it. He would even buy chisels without handles and turn handles himself on his wood lathe.

As a sub-14-year-old, he had me mixing and pouring concrete for a steep and winding Diamond Harbour driveway, woodturning, arc welding, and numerous other things one might assume beyond someone of my age.

Often, I would say to him, “I can’t do that! I’m only 8!”
He would respond, “Can’t means you won’t.”

As a kid, I must have heard the phrase, “Can’t means you won’t,” hundreds of times. It both intimidated and challenged me. There were many times I didn’t want to hear it, quite honestly - especially in those times I didn’t want to put in the effort. However, my grandfather was doing a great thing, drilling that thought into my mind so deeply that it would serve me throughout the rest of my life.

Now, when I encounter a task that seems beyond my abilities, I hear Douglas Paxton Fraser, the man I called Grandpa, reminding me, “Can’t means you won’t.” And, challenge accepted.

He explained it to me once, saying:

“‘Can’t’ means you probably won’t try, or if you do try, it may be just to prove that you can’t. Malcolm, what if you could but never tried? How do you know you can’t if you haven’t even had a go? Saying you can’t before you even try is the ultimate form of defeatism. It’s quitting before you’ve even started. Just try! You might be surprised at how capable you really are.”

Pretty good life message to give a kid, wouldn’t you say?

Today, I often put myself to tasks that seem too big for me - those that seem impossible or at least overwhelming. Too big is the perfect size. It’s the only place we can stretch and to grow, or find out how capable we truly are.

Impossible is a delusion we must destroy. Failure is impossible unless we believe we can fail. Imagine reaching the end of your life only to realise you lived to just a tiny percentage of what the Infinite had in store for you. Wouldn't that be a shame?

Carl Kelland

We might watch an incredible pianist perform with a level of expertise that leaves us in awe, and think, "I could never play like that!"

Alternatively, we might say, "One day, I’ll be able to play like that." Which are you?

I remember when I was twelve years old, we had a church youth event at my uncle's house. We were supposed to sing some songs, but the pianist didn’t show up. Then, a friend's father got up to the piano and began playing the most amazing stride piano I had ever heard. Just incredible! I had known him for about five years, yet I had no idea he could play the piano. I also had never heard stride piano before, and it blew my mind right out the window and across the street.

I’d been learning to play the piano for about three to four years, but I was stuck playing dull pieces I really didn’t like and had no interest in learning. I wanted to play like Carl Kelland played that day. And right there, I decided that, one day, I’d be able to. I didn’t care what it took. I wanted it, and I wanted it bad!

Our problem is this: we often look at the impressive results of someone’s forty-plus years of practice and think, “I could never do that.” It’s important to remember that we are witnessing the cumulative practice, experience, and tremendous commitment that took decades to develop. The key here is gradual, progressive development over time.

The reality is that, with the same dedication and effort over forty-plus years, you could absolutely achieve similar results, if not better, as we learn from their mistakes also.

What we are really expressing is, “I don’t want to put in over forty years of hard work. I want to play like that right now!” Or at the very least, we want to achieve those results in an unreasonably short amount of time.

That shows a misunderstanding of the process.

The shortcut or the app you’re looking for, young Jedi, is called practice.

The Law of Gender

Everything that the Infinite provides for us comes in seed form. It’s our responsibility to maintain healthy soil, to water the seed every day, to protect its environment, and to remove surrounding weeds.

For days, the seed remains hidden beneath the soil, where no one can see it. People may not even be aware that it’s in there. After a week or two, a small green shoot may begin to emerge. However, it will still require a great deal of care. Decades later, that tiny seed can grow into a strong and mighty oak.

Your talents, dreams, and goals develop similarly. We must maintain a healthy mind - fertile soil In which our dream seeds can grow strong. We must water the dream every day and continually remove negative, weed-type thoughts that could potentially choke the dream out. We must protect it’s environment by being very careful about the people we choose to associate with.

The exact same process is seen in pregnancy and raising a child to adulthood. For a month or two there may be no visible evidence of pregnancy. But during that time the mother knows she’s pregnant because she can feel the baby growing inside her. During pregnancy, a mother often avoids coffee and certain foods for the health of her baby. Even after the baby is born, it takes approximately 16 to 20 years to raise the child to a level, educated and market-ready.

Raising your dreams, goals, and talents requires the exact same process, time, and commitment. The most critical stage is the first few weeks, during which there may be no physical evidence of the dream. However, you know you’re ‘dream pregnant’ because you can feel the dream growing inside you.

Have you ever come across a birth announcement that states,

“Born today: Male. Height: six feet, four inches. Profession: Lawyer. Distinctive feature: full facial beard. Interests: hard rock music. Note: has a drinking problem.”

Of course not! It takes years, if not decades, to physically develop, and to develop such characteristics.

Whatever your dream or goal, you CAN achieve it. It would be incorrect to question that. However, understanding the infinite Law of Gender is essential, as it dictates the gestation period of your dream or goal - how long it will take to come to fruition. This applies to dreams as much as it does to babies or vegetation.

Your dream might be a rabbit or a rhinoceros. The gestation period might be fast or it might be slow. But as James Allen wrote, “We wait as one who understands…” Knowing that in due season your dream will be born.

Rushing the gestation period could potentially harm the baby! It will arrive in nature's timing. Nature cannot be hurried or constrained by our unrealistic expectations.

Give Yourself A Break

Every great pianist once struggled with "Mary Had a Little Lamb."

Day by day, they added new knowledge and made small improvements - often appearing insignificant when measured from day to day. This is similar to not noticing any height difference in your child from day to day. However, rest assured that both are still growing.

Begin the process of practising without looking back for the first five years. Focus on the daily practice rather than the results. Don’t dig up the seed every week to check if it's growing.

Many days will look similar to the day before, with no noticeable progress. It can be disheartening at times. Just keep nurturing it every day. Keep feeding the baby. Skipping even a single day can hinder growth or cause momentum to be lost.

Allow your growth to happen naturally. Although many days may feel unproductive or like a waste of time, progress is being made. The growth may be so small each day, perhaps even indistinguishable from the day before, but someone who visits you only every two months will say, “Wow! You’re really making progress!”

Anytime you hear yourself saying, “I can’t do that!” Remind yourself that,

“ALL things are possible to those who believe.”
Hear the words of my Grandad, “Can’t means you won’t.”

The truth revealed to us from heaven above assures us that we can. No matter what we apply it to or how daunting it may seem, this truth is not open to debate. It’s absolute in nature. However, this means little until we recognise and accept it about ourselves.

The key factor is belief - belief in ourselves, belief in the process, and belief in the Infinite Laws that govern our existence, belief over an extended period of time. It involves a realistic assessment of our God-given abilities and the knowledge you can.

The rest comes down to years of persistent development and practice until we reach our destination knowing that, in due time, in nature's time, we’ll get there.