What do you mean - you can't

My mum always used to say "there's no such word as can't"

I never quite believed her though. All around me I would hear people saying they couldn't do this and they couldn't do that. "I can't". It ranks somewhere up with the words, "because" and "but" in my opinion.

as in - I can't do that because ....
I would, but ....

It took me years (I can be a very slow learner sometimes) before I really understood what my mother was trying to pass on, with the words

"There's no such thing as can't"

My mother never read the words of "motivational speakers" she just had a lifetime of experience and getting things done with little or no resources at her disposal. My mum knew that if she wanted something she was going to have to work out a way to get it. And that included bringing up 4 kids, and with the first 3 under the age of five, she made ends meet by making clothes, doing factory outwork and other random jobs she could get - working from home whilst my dad went out to earn the money that paid for the basics. Thanks to my mum's attitude of "I can do this" we never went without. We had a rich life in many respects. Home grown vegetables, hand knitted jumpers, hats and scarves and some amazing clothes - all made by my mum.

I am convinced now more than ever - we can all do amazing things. It's just sometimes we can't be bothered.