The Power of “Can vs Will”
Can vs. Will — In my opinion there are two distinct ways of looking at this debate. Why delay? Let’s get into it shall we.
The first perspective is one of positivity. Nothing but positivity. When we talk about the things we CAN do, and the things we WILL do, it can be great for our mentality. I’ll explain soon.
The second perspective is one we must be careful with. Especially when we talk in terms of making money online. Again, I’ll explain further in just a moment.
Now before diving right into things, I must first give some definitions on a few words so that you know and understand what it is I am referring to at different points of the article.
Money Twitter — this is not a common term. I only came across it in October of 2021. Twitter has many sides to it, this is a side where people around the globe talk investing, cryptocurrency, side hustles, if it is anything to do with making money. You will find that here.
It is also one of the most positive, uplifting, and generally feel-good communities you will find online. If you have never checked it out. I highly recommend giving some people a follow. Send me a message and I will connect you with myself and some other amazing people.
Side Hustle — this is essentially anything and everything out there that you can do in addition to your 9–5 income to create extra wealth for yourself. Things such as affiliate marketing, copywriting, ghostwriting, Amazon FBA, Amazon KDP, and many others.
Okay, back to the matter at hand, “Can vs. Will”.
We live in an ever-changing technological world. As individuals, this poses us many a challenge, whilst creating a variety of opportunities all at the same time.
Whether that is protecting ourselves from identity theft, online financial fraud, or looking for that next best thing that could potentially change our lives for the better.
Navigating the online world can be an overwhelming experience. Yet, if we think about the concept of “Can vs. Will”, we can learn to develop a skillset and a way of thinking that will make it that little bit easier.
We can also learn to think about the way we present information to others, and how we view information from others that can protect us from finding ourselves in situations we would rather not stumble into.
Before Money Twitter, I had always thought of myself as having a good mindset, but it was not something I ever thought too deeply about.
I have a good career, I have great friends, an amazing family, and passions that I enjoy and follow. I thought I was good to go in the mentality department.
Thanks to Money Twitter I learned rather quickly that although I was happy in my life, I was very much stuck firmly within my comfort zone and had A LOT I need to work on in terms of mindset.
So, I looked, I watched, I listened, and I paid attention to the kinds of things I needed to work within myself. I started to LIVE all the things being put in front of me by others every single day.
You name it. Positive affirmations, cutting out toxicity, becoming disciplined, using failure for good, looking at the world through the eyes of others. All the things I was seeing on my carefully curated and crafted timeline.
I started to follow, implement, act on, and LIVE my life with the mentality of growth, the mentality of learning, the mentality of perpetual improvement.
Okay Dad Bod, but why the long-winded story? Well, all the above confirmed to me that although many of us using Twitter may think we are just throwing random words there one tweet at a time.
People ARE paying attention, they ARE watching. If I am, then so are others. Try thinking of your followers as a bunch of toddlers. They see and hear EVERYTHING. They look to emulate EVERYTHING.
This is where the power of “Can vs Will” comes in. As brands, as accounts, as people, we have great power. And with great power comes great responsibility. We must be very purposeful with what we say and how we say it.
Using “Can vs Will” in a positive light
On the positive side. We need to build others up, we need to let them know that they CAN, we need to give them the belief that they WILL. We need to instill that growth mindset within people.
Whether through our words, actions, or social proof, we are here as stewards online as writers, to help and inspire others.
Knowing that you CAN is one of the biggest things you can change in your mentality. So many of us doubt ourselves. But why?
We are only limiting ourselves by not believing we CAN. So, I see it as my job to let others know that they too CAN do this. They can write online; they can earn online. If I can, so can they.
Likewise, the belief that you WILL achieve it. Manifesting that idea in your mind that success (whatever that looks like for you) WILL come, you WILL make it happen.
Because you know that you CAN, you now know that you WILL. Again, through my content it is my job to instil that level of belief.
Shall I write a clever transitional statement to let you know that we are switching from the positive side of “Can vs Will” or should I just tell you? Oops, the cat is out of the bag!
Taking care with “Can vs Will”
Equally as important as the positive side of “Can vs Will”, is the way in which we promote Money Twitter, the way we promote affiliate marketing, the way we promote earning money online as writers.
The way we promote all the side hustles out there that can make us money. We need to be SO careful with how we use “Can vs Will”.
But why?
Remember the toddler theory. Our timeline is watching, the online community is watching. We have a responsibility to be TRUTHFUL, to be HONEST, to be GENUINE.
Side hustles, no matter which kind, have a negative stigma attached to them to people who are yet to understand them. Remember, there’s no way you can make money online legally…right?!
People will see what you are saying and get excited at the prospect of changing their lives. They see it, they feel it, they want to live it just like you are.
So be truthful. We have a duty in our position to promote opportunities in an authentic, honest, and meaningful way.
We have a duty to inspire others. A duty to build their belief and confidence through our words. IT. DRIVES. ME. NUTS. when I see tweets from people saying, “Learn affiliate marketing and you WILL make $4k+ a month”.
There’s nothing wrong with promoting affiliate marketing as a great opportunity of course. It really is. I know this to be true as it is working well for me.
But if you yourself are not earning $4k+ each month, you should not be saying people WILL earn that much money every month. If you don’t, who’s to say they will? To say they WILL, to me is dishonest.
You are painting a picture that isn’t fully accurate. For our toddlers out there reading your words, they will believe okay, learn affiliate marketing, I’ll make $4k a month.
NO…they won’t. Can they? YES, absolutely they CAN, but WILL they? Maybe not.
By using the word WILL over CAN when promoting your side hustle, to me that’s a dangerous game.
You are now risking adding to the negative stigma surrounding online opportunities.
“Well, this expert said I was going to earn $4k a month, and I didn’t, it’s a scam 100%”.
By not being purposeful with your words, you are making the lives of every other person in your respective side hustle more difficult.
You have a duty to yourself, to your industry, to your followers to be careful how you promote things.
Look at the difference here:
“Study affiliate marketing and you will earn $4k a month”.
“Study affiliate marketing and you can earn $4k a month”.
One word, CAN vs WILL changes everything. You are now honest, you are now genuine, you now provide MUCH more value to your followers and readers.
So again, side hustlers of Money Twitter, and freelance writers of Medium. When building mindset and belief in your followers use both can AND will, that is true value.
When selling your industry or your product. Be mindful of can VERSUS will. They paint an entirely different picture.
I hope you have enjoyed the read. If you are a Twitter user, give me a follow (@dadbodfinance). If you don’t follow me on Medium yet. I’d love to get to know you a little and see your content also. I’ll give you a follow back for sure.
Talk soon everyone.
Dad Bod.
