The Intersection of “You Can” and “Will You?”

Every Monday, I sit down with my coffee (today is cinnamon) and remember a universal truth:

Most people are fully capable. They’re just… not doing the thing.

I work right at the intersection of “You absolutely can” and “Okay but are you actually gonna?”

Those two places are not neighbors. They barely text.

People can:

• Fix the thing they’ve been complaining about

• Have the hard conversation

• Stop playing politics with their own sanity

• Break the same old patterns that keep them stuck

• Make decisions before the budget shrieks

They can. But do they? …I’ll let you guess. (and next time you see me IRL, ask me about the hound dog story)

It’s rarely a skill issue. It’s a capacity issue. A consistency issue. A “my feelings are tired and I would like to lie down now” issue.

There’s always that moment when you finally see the truth clearly, like when you open your front camera by accident. You know what needs to happen. You know what needs to change.

And then you arrive at the crossroads:

The Road Where You Can and The Road Where You Will

One is paved with good intentions. The other one actually goes somewhere.

My whole job, lbh, my whole calling, happens in the middle of that awkward intersection where people are like, “Oh yeah, we really should do that. Eventually.” Meanwhile the problem is waving from the driveway like, “Hey besties, still here.”

So let’s make this week different. Let’s make this Monday honest.

Your Audacity Assignment (3 steps)

• Name the thing you’ve been saying you “can” do. Just admit it. Out loud. Whisper it to your dog. Whatever.

• Pick ONE action that proves you will. Not someday...today. A call. A boundary. A draft. A “no thank you to that chaos.” One thing.

• Give yourself a 48-hour promise. Not a goal. A promise. Because goals are suggestions and promises are grown-up business.

This week, your power isn’t in what you could do. It’s in what you actually get up and do.

—I'm Jenn Barbee reminding you that “I can” is adorable, but “I did it” is the whole point.