--- title: I Can’t Is a Lie You Tell Yourself and Others | The Sales Blog description: The words “I can’t” are a lie you tell yourself and others. It’s a form of giving up, of conceding defeat before you have even tried. “I can’t” is a form of surrendering before you have even begun. It’s also a way to absolve yourself of responsibility. Maybe “you can’t,” like all the people who […] image: https://www.thesalesblog.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/shutterstock_1014246169.jpg --- ### [Now booking SKO meetings for 2026/27! 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It’s a form of [giving up](http://thesalesblog.com/2016/01/29/give-up/), of conceding defeat before you have even tried. “I can’t” is a form of surrendering before you have even begun. It’s also a way to absolve yourself of responsibility. Maybe “you can’t,” like all the people who lacked the skill set or competence to do whatever it is you need to do—until they tried. It could be that you don’t know where to start, the same place everyone finds themselves before they began. Like all of us, you were born not knowing how to do all the incredible things you now do without so much as a thought. It’s practically a miracle that you know how to speak, even though you know almost nothing about grammar and syntax. It would be exceedingly unlikely that you could diagram a sentence, yet everyone understands you, and you understand them. You can drive a car, even one without an automatic transmission, without being conscious of what you are doing, making it to your destination with little conscious effort. At some point, you learned algebra, and even though you have mostly forgotten everything except solving for x, you knew enough to pass the class. When you say, “I can’t get this person to return my call,” or “[I can’t get a meeting](http://thesalesblog.com/2017/09/25/the-importance-of-trading-value-episode-202/),” you are describing the current state of an outcome you are pursuing, not your ability to produce the outcome. When you use the words “I can’t,” adding the word “yet” to the end of the sentence transforms what you said from an untruth to a statement of fact, a fact that will only be true for the period of time between the words leaving your lips and the time you begin to take action. ###### Tags: [Mindset](https://www.thesalesblog.com/blog/tag/mindset) [2019](https://www.thesalesblog.com/blog/tag/2019) Post by [Anthony Iannarino](https://www.thesalesblog.com/blog/author/anthony-iannarino) on May 17, 2019 Written and edited by human brains and human hands. ![Anthony Iannarino](https://www.thesalesblog.com/hubfs/ai-blog-profile-crop.jpg) Anthony Iannarino is an American writer. He has published daily at [thesalesblog.com](https://www.thesalesblog.com) for more than 14 years, amassing over 5,300 articles and making this platform a destination for salespeople and sales leaders. Anthony is also the author of four best-selling books documenting modern sales methodologies and a fifth book for sales leaders seeking revenue growth. His latest book for an even wider audience is titled, The Negativity Fast: Proven Techniques to Increase Positivity, Reduce Fear, and Boost Success. Anthony speaks to sales organizations worldwide, delivering cutting-edge sales strategies and tactics that work in this ever-evolving B2B landscape. He also provides workshops and seminars. Connect with Anthony on LinkedIn, X or Youtube. You can email Anthony at [iannarino@gmail.com](mailto:iannarino@gmail.com) [Follow me on my website](https://www.thesalesblog.com/anthony-iannarino) [Follow me on Facebook ](https://www.facebook.com/thesalesblog) [Follow me on LinkedIn ](https://www.linkedin.com/in/iannarino/) [Follow me on Twitter ](http://www.twitter.com/iannarino) [![AISA-square-ad-SKOs-26-27](https://www.thesalesblog.com/hs-fs/hubfs/AISA-square-ad-SKOs-26-27.jpg?width=400&height=400&name=AISA-square-ad-SKOs-26-27.jpg)](https://www.thesalesblog.com/authority) [![ai-cold-calling-video-sidebar-offer-1](https://www.thesalesblog.com/hs-fs/hubfs/ai-cold-calling-video-sidebar-offer-1.jpg?width=318&height=179&name=ai-cold-calling-video-sidebar-offer-1.jpg)](https://www.thesalesblog.com/free-cold-calling-video) ![hustler-ebook-v3-1-cover](https://www.thesalesblog.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Free%20Resources/ebooks-2020/hustler-ebook-v3-1-cover.jpg?width=768&height=994&name=hustler-ebook-v3-1-cover.jpg) ### Guide to Becoming a Sales Hustler You weren’t put here to survive. You were put here to do something and to flourish. You’re here to reach your full potential and to make a difference. [![DOWNLOAD EBOOK](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/2922376/a5c9ad9d-eb17-49f2-b8d2-2d0d07f221c7.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/2922376/a5c9ad9d-eb17-49f2-b8d2-2d0d07f221c7) ## Are You Ready To Solve Your Sales Challenges? ![Anthony-Solve-Sales](https://www.thesalesblog.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Anthony-Solve-Sales.png?width=290&height=221&name=Anthony-Solve-Sales.png) Hi, I’m Anthony. I help sales teams make the changes needed to create more opportunities & crush their sales targets. What we’re doing right now **is working**, even in this challenging economy. **Would you like some help?** [![Solve for Sales](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/2922376/d3a4938b-2008-4a27-8b44-7b2223f6d035.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/2922376/d3a4938b-2008-4a27-8b44-7b2223f6d035) ### Join my Weekly Newsletter for Sales Tips Join 100,000+ sales professionals in my weekly newsletter and get my *Guide to Becoming a Sales Hustler* eBook for FREE! --- ```json { "@context" : "http://schema.org/", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Anthony Iannarino" }, "dateModified" : "2021-06-15T5:47:42 PM", "datePublished" : "2019-05-17 21:41:13", "description" : "The words “I can’t” are a lie you tell yourself and others. It’s a form of giving up, of conceding defeat before you have even tried. “I can’t” is a form of surrendering before you have even begun. It’s also a way to absolve yourself of responsibility. 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