Article Surfing Archive

How many times have you heard yourself or other people make the following statement?

'I'll try.'

I'll bet you've heard it a lot.

Well, what's wrong with that? After all, from an early age you've been told. "Whatever you do'always try hard.'

The act of trying may actually be counterproductive. Trying is not doing.

What price do you pay in your business and in your life for trying rather than doing?

The following exercise should clarify this abstract concept.

Ready? Place your pen or pencil on the table or desk in front of you. Now' try to pick it up.

Did you pick up your writing utensil?

If you did, I have one thing to say, 'You didn't follow the instructions.'

You weren't asked to pick up your pen or pencil' you were asked to TRY and pick it up.

Trying will rarely produce your desired result.

How often have you said to yourself' or others' "I really want to accomplish my short and/or long term goals?" How many times have you followed that statement with, "and this time I'm really going to try?"

You can probably remember a project, a task, or even a New Year's resolution that was left incomplete, about which you can sincerely say, 'Well, I tried.'

You had every intention to complete the task. You remember trying to accomplish what you'd intended. You remember the task being left unfinished.

'Trying' dilutes intention.

The more you want to or try to accomplish a task, the more challenging the completion of that task becomes.

In Episode V of the Star Wars saga there is line of dialogue delivered by the character of the Jedi mentor, Yoda. Yoda gives a set of instructions to his pupil, Luke Skywalker.

Luke responds to Yoda's instructions with the words, 'I'll try.'

Yoda counters quietly, and with conviction. He says, 'Try not. Do, or do not. There is no try.'

I urge you to adopt this cinematic saying. Keep it close to you at all times. Make it a part of your daily action plan. Write it out. Paste it on the wall.

We all want to do the right things. We all try to do the right things. However, the mindsets of wanting and trying come with a cost.

That cost is best summed up in this excerpt from the first in a series of books entitled 'Conversations with God' by Neale Donald Walsch. Walsch's literary depiction of God shares these words, 'You can not have that for which you ask. Nor can you have anything you want. The very request is a statement of lack and your saying you want produces only want in your reality.'

Here's your success tip. Remove statements that include the words 'try' and 'want' from your personal vocabulary.

Those who follow my work know about the 'Secret Language of Success''. This secret language does not include the statement 'I'll try.' Focus on action oriented statements like, 'I'll do the task', or 'I'll complete the task.'

The next time you hear someone say, ''I'll try to do the task'' rather than, 'I'll do the task''make sure you ask them to clarify their plan.

Ask them to spell out clearly the steps that will result in a completed project.

Review the time frame. Discuss openly the consequences of leaving the task unfinished. You can demonstrate your support by simply asking, 'What support do you need to complete the task?'

Here's an exercise designed to build up the muscle of 'doing.'

Over a two week period keep a simple journal in which you log the frequency of the phrase 'I'll try' in your environment. If you're the source of the comment, ask yourself 'What specific action can I take, right away, to move the project along?'

If someone else is the source of the statement you can ask, 'What might stop you from completing the task?' Bring it out in the open so it can be handled. Bring it out in the open before the frustration sets in.

If you choose to take on this homework assignment remember to say to yourself, 'I'll do this assignment' rather than, 'I'll try to do this assignment'.

Make this shift in your communications style and watch more tasks and projects get completed.

As simple as it may seem, this shift in language really makes a difference.

To your success.

Copyright 2005 Ike Krieger