If you put your mind to it, can you accomplish anything?

[coloradodem2005]

Why or why not?

[warrens]

1. Well, I put my mind to it

But as the medical bills illustrate, my "I can fly if I just put my mind to it" experiment was less than a total success.

[liontamer]

2. i haven't been able to shoot fire balls from my hands

or open teleportation portals, and I've been trying for years :cry:

I guess you just have to accept that sometimes people fail.

[RagingInMiami]

3. That is just a myth

If you put your mind to it, you might be able to reach your full potetial, but everybody's full potential differs.

[msgadget]

4. I agree

Like I can't do that Spidey thing and swing from tall buildings or call up at will today's MegaMillion numbers, and I sure as hell can't figure out how to organize this Christmas decoration crap but there are a lot of things I have the potential to do better even though they won't be on the scale of, say, Bill Gates. It's hard work...it's hard work, I tell ya!

[Nikia]

5. As long as it doesn't involve the love/friendship of another person

Love and friendship don't work that way. It can be hard to accept for an achievement oriented person who is used to accomplishing every other goal that he or she set his or her mind to. You can't make someone else feel something that they don't no matter what you do or want it to happen.

[JVS]

6. No.

because putting your mind to it is a prerequisite not a guarantee of ability.

But go ahead, whatever it is put your mind to it, because that's the only way to find out if you can do it

[Frogtutor]

7. Of course; within reason (VERY long winded; read at your own risk)

But, I have to say that I'm very picky about what I will set my mind to accomplish. In other words, I'm fairly certain I will succeed even before I start.

I have an extreme fear of failure that really prevents me from trying many things. At the same time, I'm a perfectionist, so when I do try something, I give it all I've got. Here's a couple of examples:

I was a total slacker in high school. I made good grades when I did the work; getting me to do the work was the challenge (that fear of failure thing, again). I graduated with absolutely no intention of ever going to college. I got married at 18 (another success story, at least so far!), had our first child at 25, then decided when I was 28 that I wanted to go to college. I first went full time to community college. Won a writing award, joined the international honor society, made National Dean's list twice, and Who's Who Among Students in American Junior Colleges twice. I graduated with an Associates in Arts degree with highest honors (perfect 4.0 GPA). Then I transfered to university. The work load was a bit too much for me to handle going full time, so I never qualified for any awards or Dean's lists, or anything. But, I kept my 4.0 GPA all the way through, got my B.S. in Elementary Education, and scored very well on the Texas teacher certification test.

I quit smoking over a year and a half ago with absolutely NO setbacks. I have not picked up a cigarette (despite many opportunities) since April of 2003 after having smoked for 17 years. I had never tried quitting before; I just knew I didn't have the right mind set for it. But once I made up my mind to do it, it was done. There are several reasons I haven't gone back: I wouldn't be able to face the disappointment of my husband and son, I NEVER want to go through the process of quitting again (too hard!), all the benefits of not smoking that I've discovered, and just plain stubbornness.

Now, for the disclaimer:

I have been EXTREMELY fortunate to even have the opportunity to go to school like I did, and commit as much time to my studies and school work as I did. My husband is able to support us without my working, so all I did was go to school and housewife/mom duties. But, I've known people who were single parents who went to school AND worked full time at the same time, and still took care of their families. THAT'S what I call accomplishment; I have all the respect and admiration in the world for the people that can do that. I don't think I have what it would take.

What am I doing with my teaching degree and certificate? Tutoring on-line from home part time for meager pay. Partly, I don't want to start a career yet because we're planning to have another child. But, fear of failure is again a huge obstacle. My student-teaching experience scared me into thinking I might not be so good at teaching a whole classroom full of kids. Now I'm thinking I'll have to go back to school in order to become a Content Mastery (Special Ed) teacher, or diagnostician, or something where I can work with smaller groups, or one-on-one.

Geez, I'm neurotic...

[trof]

8. I can almost levitate.

Almost.