If you’re a cheer coach, you’ve probably heard a cheerleader say, “I can’t” at least once in your coaching career.  And if you’re a cheerleader, you’ve probably said, “I can’t” at least once or twice in your cheerleading career. 

Too often however, the “I can’t” really means “I won’t” or “I don’t know how.”  This is an important distinction.  When you say “I can’t” you are selling yourself short; you are limiting yourself.  This can happen when you are anxious or afraid or – just plain lazy! 

I invite you to pay attention to what you say and if you catch yourself saying, “I can’t” consider what you might really be feeling.  Are you nervous?  Are you worried you will make a mistake?  It may be more accurate to say, “I don’t know how…” and then work with your coach to find a way to learn what is being asked of you.  

If you really mean “I won’t” when you say “I can’t” it’s time to determine if you have the necessary commitment to the sport of cheerleading. 

So, keep your ears tuned to what you say and think about what it means!

Tags: cheerleader, cheerleaders, Cheerleading, cheerleading coach, coach

This entry was posted on Monday, June 8th, 2009 at 11:23 pm by Dr. Pam and is filed under Coaching, Mental Toughness, mental game. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.