CAN…Feel The Power!

Bettcha thought this post was going to be about the art of canning.  Well, it is.  Not like you think, but still utilizing the same premise.

Do you ever feel drained around folks who are like sponges, great at absorbing, but never  releasing?  You know the ones.  (Kinda like the dill pickles you may have canned last summer.)  Sour at first to your taste buds, then deliciously satisfying when you finally begin to roll that first bite around on your tongue.

Negative people are similar to those pickles.  Until they allow others to really sample what’s beneath their “skin”, their “peeling” remains slightly tough and slightly distasteful.  Corny analogy, but think about it.

No.  Won’t.  Never.  Not now.  I can’t.  How do those words make you feel?  Do they motivate you?  When you hear someone use them, are you inclined to remain in his or her company very long, or would you rather hightail it out of there to sunnier paths?

I’ve always felt that negativity breeds perceived failure.  Positivity, on the other hand, empowers.  It draws success.  If we always focus on “I can’t”, then no, we probably won’t.

I can’t doesn’t take chances.  I can’t sabotages.  I can’t refuses opportunity.  It willingly closes the door to the sunshine that’s waiting on our doorstep.  I can, however, takes risks.  I can motivates.  I can welcomes challenges.  Unlike its antonym, I can throws open the door and every window in the house to that fiery ball of heat and welcomes it!

Now, I’m not some prima donna who thinks every day is going to be peachy-keen perfect.  (I do venture out of my glass house once in a while!)  And although I’m typically a positive person, I do have my off days just like everyone else.  We wouldn’t be human if we didn’t, and God understands that.  There are indeed days and trials in our lives and on this earth that just leave us emotionally spent, exhausted, and sad.

When I’m sucked into the tempting vacuum of I can’t, I sometimes have to kick and scream my way out of the dust bag onto the fresh carpet of I can.  I have to consciously make the effort to see the good, instead of the bad.  To dance in the rain alongside some puddles.

Those ol’ canning jars are super at preserving things.  They hold fresh, fabulous goodies that make our mouths water.  Until we remove their lids though, we never taste the goodness inside!

I pray that if you’re reading this blog post today, you’ve decided to loosen your seal a bit and savor the flavor of I can.

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Questions for you to ponder…What motivates you?  What do you do when negativity comes calling?