Restrictions, lockdowns, frustrations galore…but you know what? I can do this because I am! This is a statement I learned many years ago during my Graduate Studies. I hit points of utter exhaustion and discouragement where I thought ‘I can’t keep doing this!’ 
As I spilled this out to my mentor she looked me in the eye and challenged me. (Which by the way, is not what I was hoping for! I was thinking some nice sympathy — a hug and maybe even a Starbucks gift card for my troubles!) But no, she just said “You can’t?” I felt a little perturbed. What part of this very short statement was she not understanding? I repeated myself, “I can’t do this,” adding in a deep sigh for dramatic effect. “And yet you are” she smiled warmly with incredible grace in her eyes. This is where I learned an incredibly helpful life lesson. It was desperately hard. I was fatigued and sick physically. My energy levels were depleted and yet here I was — getting it done, one. long. day. at. a. time.
See, the truth was, “I can do it because I am.” It’s not pretty. It’s not fun. In fact, I was hating it on some days. But the encouraging truth tucked into the centre of my life was that I was actually doing it!
I felt like I couldn’t, which was absolutely fair and accurate. But I could do it because I was.
Let those words sink in. “I can do this because I am.” You may need to validate all the emotions surrounding it. You may not feel like doing it or that it is even possible. But take heart — you can do this, because you are.
Be encouraged. Take heart. Have hope. You can do this. You are doing this.
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