I Don’t Do “ABLE.”

In life, I believe we have all been equipped to do whatever we want to do. I hear people say “I can’t” over and over again. As Henry Ford once said, “If you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re right.” I know, I know… Your circumstances currently don’t support that saying. Well, circumstance rarely does.

For years, I’ve always said, “When you’re ready, willing and able, you can accomplish anything you set out to do.” Recently I’ve changed that saying to, “When you’re ready and willing, you can accomplish anything you set out to do.” You see, you’re able. You’ve always been able.

I hate the term “disabled.” I have a long-time friend names Mike McTheny, who I have known since the 2nd grade. I’ve known him most of my life, and one thing has always been consistent: he’s in a wheelchair. I’ve rarely seen him as disabled. The times I have, I was wrong. You see, Mike has always been able to do more than many I know that can walk. He can shoot a mean game of pool, and back in the day he was a formidable foe when playing foosball. He also used to push me around the high school in his wheelchair. Yup…you heard me right. HE pushed ME!

Mike represents something in my life called WILL. Have you ever heard that other saying, “Where there’s a WILL, there’s a WAY”? I like that saying much better. The way appears when the will is present. But when there is no will, it might as well be impossible. That, in a sense, is being WILLING.

I’ve often told people who want help losing weight to come back to me when they can say “CAN” more than they say “CAN’T.” The fact is that they’re just not READY. I hear every excuse in the book! “I don’t like broccoli” or “I can’t exercise” or even “It’s a texture thing – it makes me gag.” Well, when I went to The Biggest Loser, I was READY! Did I love broccoli? Only when it was smothered in cheese! But when I became READY to lose weight, I was WILLING to put on my big boy pants and eat broccoli. And do you know what happened? I DIDN’T DIE! In fact, I learned to love broccoli without all the cheese, and I also lost 239 pounds. Sometimes you just have to Lose the Lies to get what you want. The excuses have to go, and that happens when you are READY for change.

So don’t tell me you’re not ABLE. I Don’t Do “ABLE.” You can tell me you’re not READY. You can tell me you’re not WILLING. But I know you’re able. When a man like Mike McTheny, who no one would blame if he sat in his chair for the rest of his life CHOOSES to fight to walk – even if it hurts – I know you can Lose the Lies and do anything you want to do. You’re able; but you also have to be READY and WILLING!