You Bewitched Yourself. Stop it! Own President Obama’s Mantra “Yes, We Can!”, Instead

Yes, you read that right! You tossed the beads, teeth and bones under the mighty oak tree and bewitched yourself. Then you called it ‘life’. You owned the pain and made it a piece of you. The kind you can’t, no, scratch that. The kind won’t part with. But you know you could own President Obama’s mantra, right?

No, you are not alone. I too bewitched myself for months last year. That was until I came across some interesting-looking intel on uterine fibroids, cutting on coffee and losing weight. Then like a scared kid caught in a mess by his mama, I halted with a piercing screech and turned around. But this story isn’t about me. I’ve had my fair share of self-fulfilling prophecies. This is about you. So I will snitch on my friend Billy to paint the witchcraft picture for you.

And now that I’ve got your attention, let’s go!

We sat at the park watching the ocean claiming the beach with a gentle tossing forward of the waves. A fruitseller approached with a basket full of mixed fruits. Some familiar. Others alien. Billy shot for familiar fruits and picked an orange. But your girl here loves adventure.

“I’ll have a runny tummy if I eat that!” Billy whimpered. Not for the first time that afternoon.

Truthfully so, he had suffered a painful stomach over the months. It came and went at will torturing him beyond speech each time. I hated to see him that way.

Then the words registered. He was expecting a stomach ache. And like every wish he had made in the short life I had known him, the ache didn’t disappoint. He had bewitched himself.

It was more than just the words he spoke. It was the intensity with which he said them. The conviction. The belief that if he ate anything outside his usual menu, he would not only have a stomach ache but a runny tummy would also grace the event. That emotional attachment to ‘his problem’. And as sure as the Botswana summer sun, it would show up. Blazing!

“Have you ever thought that you call the pain into existence?”

Billy couldn’t believe his ears, his eyes no longer inviting. Of all the people in the world, I, his sworn friend spat those words. But I did. And I meant every syllable.

“You say it with such conviction that your stomach has no choice but to obey.”

But don’t we all?

Every time you whisper to yourself, ‘I can do this.’ You speak from experience, don’t you?

You remember the last time you achieved the thing you set your mind to do and made it, and from that time are convinced that you could do it all over again. Heck, you even set a loftier goal and like the pro you are, shoot right through it. Bullseye!

So, why would you, Billy and I, find it surprising when the painful situation we call happens?

Why do we expect the situation to fall out of the queue when called upon?

Like the sweet success we expect when the heart races at the thought of ‘I can do this’, the pain in the belly follows. Both happen after they have been called up. We have bewitched ourselves.

Now what?

Cease calling to action the pain you don't want. Share on X

Yes, it’s that simple. You could dismiss this as wishful thinking, but what do you have to lose by biting your tongue whenever you catch yourself prophesying doom over your situation? Beside your tongue that is. 😉 Try it!

Then, identify the situation you want to show up. For Billy, it’s for his system to accept food he isn’t used to with the same magnitude of joy his eyes do the tossing waves. And boy do those inviting eyes glitter!

Do you now see how President Obama’s mantra “Yes, we can!” comes into play?

Finally, look for answers to the unwanted guest. Solving the problem, the stomach ache in Billy’s case begins with a change of mind. See the undesirable pain as a riddle daring you to solve it and with a dazzling medal upon winning. Instead of that scary monster you freeze or flee from.

You will be surprised that what you turned your heels from is a nudge to create a product you could share with the world, at a fee. (😉Me and my entrepreneurial mind in overdrive.) Or help you change your lifestyle for the better.

You see, the challenging situation recurring in your life is powered by your self-talk. And because you are okay with it you see no need to seek its solution. I didn’t see it this way until I got tired of having prolonged painful menses and popping painkillers into my system. I always expected lengthy bleeding every time I neared that time of the month. I even went ahead to stock painkillers and night pads for it. But now I don’t, thanks to the intel on uterine fibroids, cutting on coffee and losing weight. But that’s a story for another day.

So here is my gospel; stop bewitching yourself. Instead, own President Obama’s mantra “Yes, we can!” and turn yourself into that ideal being you desire to be.