G Letter - WINTER 2021/22 – The Difference Between Can, Should & Will

"Do not wait; the time will never be "just right." Start where you stand, and work with whatever tools you may have at your command, and better tools will be found as you go along." Napoleon Hill

The words can, should and will are called model auxiliary verbs—-grammatically they represent ability, permission and necessity. We often use the 3 words interchangeably. There is however a big difference between what you can do, what you should do and what you will do.

Students and mentees of mine often ask me if something or another can be done. The answer to the question: can I do something is normally yes because our potential is almost limitless given enough time, energy and focus. What can be done unfortunately doesn’t tell us much about the here and now.

Should is typically a response to other people’s priorities (i.e. a parent, spouse or teacher). Children are told what they should or should not do.

Self-actualized adults develop their own goals and objectives and determine exactly what they will and will not do. Will is therefore the most important of the 3 auxiliary verbs because the actions we will actually take are what create results and make an impact on our lives and the world around us. Onward and upward!