I Think I Can, I Think I Can

Image from Amazon

The Little Engine That Could by Watty Piper is my favorite children's book. I remember reading it many times at Grandma's house. Now I have my own copy.

A train full of food and toys for the children on the other side of the mountain gets stuck. The dolls and animals try to get help from all the engines that come along, but to no avail. Each engine has an excuse or scoffs at their little load as if it's unimportant.

After all the excuses and snobbery from the other engines, one kind, little blue engine comes by and listens to the group. She doesn't know absolutely, 100%, sure-thing that she'll be able to do the job of pulling the train cars to the other side of the mountain.

But she just tries--and with a good attitude. Her wheels say, "I think I can, I think I can" as she puffs up the mountain. Going down the mountain, they say, "I thought I could, I thought I could."

She was able to do the job just because she tried and had a good attitude.

Excuses are like chains that we put on ourselves. Nobody else can make our excuses for us unless we buy into their defeated attitude.

Once this past summer, I had just had enough of the brush by the road at the corner. My little daughter had just learned to ride her bike, and wasn't too great on braking yet. That brush blocked her view and the view of drivers coming by in our neighborhood.

I could have waited for Kris or someone else to do it. I could have made up excuses not to do it because I didn't have just the perfect tool. But Kris was gone for the day, and I wanted it done immediately while I had the steam for it.

So, without the latest, greatest tools, I just started hacking away at it. In a few hours, I had the entire corner cleared so she and drivers had a clear view.

How about you? What can you do if you just try?