My daughter loves playing the flute and has been playing in her school band for two years.  She is now in the 6th grade and found that some of the pieces are a little more difficult.  While practicing, I heard her declare that she could not play the song – it was  difficult.

We immediately had a discussion about how much power was in her words.  If she kept saying she couldn’t then she probably wouldn’t.  I gave her some personal examples of how my words had caused me to miss some opportunities in life.  We had a great conversation and she continued to practice.  Tonight she played the song for us and she was absolutely brilliant.  The smile on her face was priceless.

If you hear your daughter talking about what she can’t do, don’t hesitate to help her see other options.