Try not. Do or do not. There is no try!
– Yoda
Yoda- Star Wars Character
“I will try.” I expressed my thoughts with little conviction. The apprehension and doubt lined Mr. Roberts face as he slowly shook his head. My boss’s reaction pushed me into action, causing me to alter my statement abruptly. “I will do it!” Relief washed over his face like a warm washcloth, and a reassured smile brightened his expression. “Now, that’s what I wanted to hear!”
Friday had been brimming with irate customers, short tempered fellow employees, and various problems scattered all day like a game of connect-the-dots. Did my cynicism put a damper on my workday? How did my actions, words and body language influence the negative forces to take hold? I determined to improve my outlook, make some positive changes and turn my frown upside down (yes, a cliché, but one that fits).
How often do you hear these words from yourself and others: “I’ll try . . . to be on time”, or “I’ll try . . . to get that finished”? The phrase “I’ll try” does not inspire confidence in anyone. It only creates doubt. It is used along with a lack of commitment, an uncertainty of success, and an unwillingness to put forth the effort needed.
Maybe the origin of the word “try” came from prehistoric times. Close your eyes and imagine a brawny caveman named “Ugg” coming up with the word. He had spent the morning being pestered by his wife to hunt for dinner and glanced outside the cave entrance. A ferocious saber tooth tiger blocked his exit and eyed him hungrily. Throwing stones in front of the entrance, he hid in the corner and said, “Ugg try tomorrow”. Due to a lack of food, he and his family probably perished, but this useless word survived and spread like wildfire. Wherever it came from, the word “try” showed up in the English dictionary along with “can’t”, “why”, “maybe”, “sometime”, and “uh-uh” centuries later, to the dismay of us all.
“I’ll try” is a statement that implies a lack of dedication. It is beige on the color wheel, bland to the taste buds, and that white noise emitting from the air conditioning vent, an undefined and vague offshoot from the straight road to accomplishment. You have to search to find it amongst the tangle of bushes and twigs, buried behind a tree stump, it is so elusive. It’s a generic cop out of a word, used only when your expectations are mediocre at best. If I were asked to walk a tight rope across the Grand Canyon, would my response be, “I’ll try.” Hell no! Perhaps an emphatic “Absolutely, I would love to.” or an equally enthusiastic “No way!” but certainly not “I’ll try.” I would be dooming myself to failure. (I’ll leave that one to Evel Knievel. Can you imagine him responding “I’ll try”?)
In every situation you must be willing to:
*Give your all
*Make the necessary effort
*Follow through
*Get it done
Avoid the “maybe”, “someday”, “whenever”, or “soon” see-sawing, hazy, fuzzy and blurred response. That just won’t cut it.
Sure, there are times when we are all guilty of sitting back, propping up our feet and just expecting change to be handed to us like a miracle on a silver platter. Haven’t we heard somewhere that if we just expect good things, abundance, happiness and success will come to us? Did they forget to tell us that it takes some effort on our part? Yes, I believe in a Divine Being that intervenes and fights for us when the going gets rough. However, I also believe that same Divine Being expects us to do our part in the immense scheme of things. That is why we were given brains to think with, muscles to work with and common sense to get the job done.
- You need to buy a ticket to win the lottery.
- You must enter a contest to win.
- You have to drive a car (or somebody else does) to get where you’re going.
- Dinner doesn’t cook itself.
- The button has to be pushed on the slot machine to win the jackpot.
- You are required to take classes to earn a degree.
- Work is necessary to get a paycheck.
So, when the word “try” enters your vocabulary, make a conscious change to “I will”. That’s your final answer- no ifs, ands, or buts about it!
Take back your power. Make the changes necessary to improve your life. Just do it!
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