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by Donald B. Ardell, Ph. D.
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Wellness in the Headlines
(Don's Report to the World)

I Can't Do It! (Encore)

Monday October 17, 2005

Former US president Bill Clinton, under interrogation related to a sex scandal, famously remarked, "Well, I suppose that depends on the definition of 'it'."

If I were under interrogation for a wellness scandal, I would fess up. No fooling around, asking what "it" means. I would come right out and confess that I have come to believe the reality for most is "I Can't Do It" (or ICDI). I think this accounts for the prevalence of pain and disappointment in the world today. Unlike President Clinton, I would NOT take refuge in the nature of how "it" is defined. "It" is not the key variable. Instead, the operant phrase is CAN'T DO-no matter what IT is. Can't get needs met, can't find sufficient happiness, can't make the pain go away, can't succeed, can't perform and so on. Doesn't matter--ICDI describes how things really are.

Sure, some can and you might be an exception, but my years of experience in business and sports, wellness promotion, and coaching and everything else leads me to the view that ICDI is the reality for nearly all.

I also believe that the secret of doing it, that is, something or a few things worthwhile, is to lower expectations to a level commensurate with genuine possibilities. Nobody has trouble recognizing that he/she can't fly; the challenge is to recognize that you can't succeed, either! Unless your expectations are sensible, that is, very low, you will fail. Set your hopes, goals, dreams and plans commensurate with your limited potentials. You won't regret it.

Hey, it's not your fault. Genetically, you never had a chance. Further, your experiences have been limited, your environment is not very supportive and psychologically you lack sufficient ambition and drive.

If you are serious about doing it, that is having a modicum of success, lower your expectations. Accept that life is meaningless, that nothing matters and that before you know it, you will be dead and forgotten. You will find that an attitude of ICDI is liberating and stress reducing--and the surest path to a bit of happiness and joy in life, now and then. Your existence and everything that you know and value is a chimera, a mirage and charade, but if you choose NOT to make a big deal about it, you can have your moments and do IT, now and again --provided, of course, that you keep things reasonable and not beyond your pathetic capabilities.

Nothing personal--we're all pathetic in a cosmic sense but much less so when we come to grips with this and other liberating realities. An ICDI outlook might prove a refreshing chance to ponder and assess all kinds of limits affecting your health, career, relationships and the rest.

What do you think? Have I gone off the deep end, or might I be on to something here? Feedback always welcomed. Be well-enjoy the quest for your own potentials, however modest, and always look on the bright side of life.

Domain: purpose
Subdomain: applied wellness

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