Have you ever heard that quote from Eleanor Roosevelt? It’s long been a favorite of mine and at one time I even used the initials to set a padlock—one of those padlocks with letters instead of numbers, which has saved a person like me who just isn’t great with numbers. Anyhow, I felt with each time I punched in those letters that the quote itself might impress itself on my brain, my very being.

You must do the think you think you cannot. Because so many of my early years were about being told what I could not do—I could not skip Mass. I could not wear black. I could not ever be as good as my sister with all the sparkling report card. And even though I loved reading and penned my first book when I was in the first grade, I definitely could not write. Writing was not a good career choice. It wasn’t a career at all.

I share this with you now for two reasons. First, I’d love to hear if any of you have certain quotes or lines that are near and dear to you. If so, feel free to share them. And if not, that’s also okay. But if you don’t have a quote, I’d love to share mine with you today so that you can take it with you in coming days as you work on your projects and scale your own mountains of doubt. You must do the think you think you cannot. I believe that you can.

I have a new essay up this week at Sundog Lit. While it’s never easy to write about family, part of living through an experience is the opportunity to examine it. Here’s my take on my daughter’s seizure history. https://sundoglit.com/melissa-fraterrigo/