Capable.

Capable is loosely defined as having “the power and ability” (1).

No doubt success in your chosen career path entails certain traits, skills, and attributes, as does your effectiveness in networking (i.e. connecting) with your colleagues.

However, the realities of success, growth, and competency do not usually fit our preconceived ideas about them. Being capable does not adhere to strict guidelines and direct cause-and-effect relationships with clear-cut predictability.

Capability comes from a mixture of repetition and learning yes. But it also comes from stumbling blocks and opportunities. Therefore if you feel you have hit a wall in your career or your networking abilities, you are not alone.

If you are confused with how to proceed, the intention of capable is a fantastic guide when breaking through any physical, emotional, or social blocks you may currently be experiencing.

We here at Intention Inspired define capable as being able to achieve efficiently whatever one has to do.

So even though you may have hit a roadblock in achievement or efficiency, you are not doomed to be stuck in this place forever. First, let’s dive into the foundations of capable. To do that let’s start with an analogy.

Do ever notice that if you put a different spice in your favorite dish, it completely changes the flavor? I did that just today when I added garlic spice to my scrambled eggs. The garlic is a much more powerful spice than my usual salt and pepper routine, and definitely got my attention, jolted my senses, and changed my experience of eating eggs.

Why am I recounting my tales of woe at the breakfast table today? Because intentions work the same way! Different intentions (just like the different spices on the kitchen cabinet) alter our psyches in different ways…discreetly bringing forth new flavors, inspirations, and possibilities in our lives.

Capable is about knowing that success and social prowess are not predetermined fates any of us were given. Capable recognizes that in feats of any magnitude, there is a requirement of hard work.

Within the journey to be more capable, learning curves and challenges abound. Everyone has had the experience of “people pleasing” before. Everybody “fails” sometimes. But that is the point! Since we often learn best from our mistakes, shouldn’t we stop going out of our way to avoid them?

Upleveling our capabilities requires patience with ourselves. It requires that we respect the process of growth, change, and personal success. Being capable involves more than just putting in the required hours of practice (2), it also entails flexibility, dedication, and confidence from the get-go (3).

That is because the bridge to success is only made by laying down one plank at a time. As Martin Luther King Jr. said,

“You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.”

The road to expertise is not always logical or linear. Motivation is destined to wane. And when it does, self-sabotage is rampant.

Author Stephen Covey defines this phenomenon of self-sabotage as resistance: “Most of us have two lives. The life we live, and the unlived life within us. Between the two stands Resistance.” (4)

Greatness. Success. Social trust, connection, and the development of a reputation of excellence and camaraderie in your organization usually takes time and effort. The intention of capable can be a grounding mantra that guides you through your journey.

“He who would accomplish little need sacrifice little; he who would achieve much must sacrifice much. He who would attain highly must sacrifice greatly.”

-James Allen, As a Man Thinketh (5)

Affirm the intention “I am capable” because you are. If you’re not feeling it right this second try this Capable Meditation!