I Can't vs I Don't

I was listening to KLove Radio on Tuesday and this news bit and subsequent discussion caught my attention. 

Watch what comes out of your mouth: In a study in the Journal of Consumer Research, 80 percent of women stuck with their diets by saying, "I do not eat that" to temptations, while only 10 percent succeeded using "I can't eat that. " "I can't signals deprivations, which makes you more likely to cave, whereas "I don't" signals determinations and empowerment, making your refusal more effective," says study author Vanessa Patrick, Ph.D., of the University of Houston. But you don't have to announce that you don't eat cake, reframing your self-talk works too. (Women's Health)

It really got me thinking about how my friend was so right, that words matter.  I looked at this journey and realize that it's not about the I can'ts.  It's a choice.  I can have something if I want it...but I don't because of the potential effects it could have on me and how it's negatively effected me over the years.  I've read where some people who have had gastric bypass really test the waters - trying foods they KNOW they shouldn't have, but do anyway.  Some are disappointed that their body doesn't react negatively, but my question is WHY try it?!  I want to be successful.  I want to make good healthy choices.  It makes me wonder if these people are using "can't" or "don't".  I am making a conscious choice...therefore "I don't". I Can't gives me no control...I Don't leaves the choice to me.  I like I Don't.

Below are some I Can'ts of the past - and these weren't just the words, they were the truth at the time.  Because of my I Don'ts through this journey, all of these have already changed.

• "I can't walk very far without being in pain."  
• "I can't wear an XL anything."  
• "I can't go to the gym by myself."
• "I can't walk in a 5k."
• "I can't sit in the back seat with two other people AND wear a seatbelt."
• "I can't reach my toenails to paint them."
• "I can't climb trees."  I did it today while geocaching with the boys!  It may sound silly because I didn't go very high, but I climbed up in a tree today!  NSV?  You betcha! 

So, dear ones, be careful with what comes out of your mouth and into your brain.  Words matter and so do you!

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"I praise you [God] because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well." ~Psalm 139:14