The Lie that We Can Do It All Is Not Empowering

It’s a beautiful thing to watch human beings give one another encouragement, but somewhere along the way “You can do it!” has started to feel almost like an admonition — “You can do it, so why aren’t you?”

If you browse Pinterest you will find that everything that needs to be done in life has been boiled down to such simple steps that “anyone can do it.” Quick tips for cleaning or working out are often advertised as “fitting into any schedule.” Each of these quick and simple solutions bare the unspoken (or sometimes spoken) postscript of, “so you have no excuse not to.”

“Excuses” have become a black mark. If you don’t do something because you’re tired, then you’re lazy; if you don’t do something because you don’t have time, then you’re poor at managing your time; if you don’t do something because it’s simply not a priority, then you need to get your priorities straight.

The reality is that if a single person tried to put into practice every five minute habit and 15 minute routine that promises to fit into any lifestyle, their entire life would be eaten up by it. Regardless of how quick and simple something is supposed to be, regardless of how anyone can make time for something if they make it a priority, there are only so many hours in a day, and a person only has so much energy.