Never Say Never

I have been known to say "I would NEVER do that!" quite frequently in my younger years. Sometimes getting older makes you wiser. Now I realize that when you say "I would never..." , then you probably will, at some point.

I could regale you with all the times I have used the statement "I would never" while discussing parenthood. And yes, that was before I was actually a parent. Those statements are numerous and I think I broke the record on all of them. But that's not the point of this post.

Never is one of the words that keep you in a box. You won't explore new avenues or new activities or new ways of thinking if you tell yourself that you "would never do that". And people say things like this to themselves and the people in their lives every day. I know I did.

"I will never be a runner." I said this FOR YEARS. Guess what? 6 years ago, I started running. I began running to lose weight after baby #2. But I've kept running because I fell in love with it. It's the easiest exercise for me. All I need are a good pair of running shoes. Lace them up and I can run my neighborhood, the local park, a nature trail, or even a 5k race. It's a stress relief, a quiet time, time to think, time to pray, time to clear my head, time with friends, time alone. It's awesome. And I said I would never be a runner.....ha!

"I will never be a vegetarian." This one still astounds me. A few years ago, I was searching for ways to be more healthy. Of course I watched several documentaries on healthy eating. Out of this search, I became a vegetarian for over a year. Yes, I eat meat now, but I am more careful in my selection (organic, grass-fed, free range, farm raised). I learned more that year about how many vegetables I really love. Now I believe that most of my plate should be vegetables and fruits.

"I will never be able to meditate." Ok. I'll be honest. I didn't get this meditation thing for a long long time. I thought it was all about chanting and having a blank mind, no thoughts. In the last year or so, I have tried meditation off and on. And I'm still not great at it. My mind does not have an easy time slowing down. The benefits of meditating (having that quiet time with just yourself) are evident when I take the time to do it.

"I will never be a writer." I have written essays for school and college. I have even written a thesis for my Master's degree. But those were required of me. I never thought I would write because I had something to say. I never thought I would write anything that would be of interest to anyone else. The latter may still be true...  But I have found an outlet in writing. Writing this blog makes me happy. Writing a book is challenging. But it gives such excitement. Just in the writing. It's becoming a passion of mine.

What are your "I would never's"? Even if you don't say them out loud to others in your life, you may say them quietly to yourself. Don't put yourself in a box. Don't limit your abilities with your thoughts. What could you create and accomplish if you didn't hold yourself back with your "never"?