I’m not one to spout clichés and platitudes. I’ve railed against “everything happens for a reason.” Don’t get me started on “time heals all wounds,” for obvious reasons. But the one I choose to highlight today is “there’s nothing you can’t accomplish if you just set your mind to it.”

A greater line of bullshit has never been uttered. Who are the people saying this?

1. Successful athletes while hoisting their championship trophy.
2. Successful businesspeople giving a speech to all their admirers.
3. Successful entertainers accepting an Academy/Emmy/Grammy Award.
4. Parents who are trying to provide inspiration to their small children (I suppose this is no worse than telling them there is a Santa, so I’ll cut the parents of the world some slack).

Just because the following statement is often true:     

      To be successful you must work hard, and you must want it bad.

doesn’t mean that this statement must also be true:

     If you work hard, and want something bad enough, you will be successful.

Certainly, if you are young, bright, and determined, you have a broad range of opportunities, but it’s foolish to say that every set of skills can be molded to accomplish any set of goals. There are so many things you can accomplish, but so many you can’t, no matter how hard you try. If you’re born chubby, short, and uncoordinated, for example, you won’t become an NBA player.

Although you can’t accomplish anything you set your mind to, I offer an equally inspirational, and infinitely more useful thought:

Life presents you with endless possibilities.

Other than people in the most dire circumstances, everyone has a boundless number of opportunities, which is quite different from saying that anybody can do anything. Not all opportunities are glamorous, profound, or life-changing. Sometimes they are simple, subtle, understated. On any given day, you may pursue the possibility of getting out of bed for the first time in days, or going back to college to earn that degree, or anything in between. 

So many possibilities.

No, you can’t accomplish anything you set your mind to. But you can imagine the possibilities, sift through them, choose one, and act upon it. Maybe it will be a poor choice, and you’ll fail. Maybe it will make your day just a little better. Maybe it will change your life for the better.

Life presents you with endless possibilities. That’s a platitude I can get my arms around.