“No. Try not. Do… or do not. There is no try.”  Yoda (in Star Wars: Episode V)

What do you suppose would be the outcome if you never tried to do anything again?

“They will try, but they will fail. For I am with you, and I will take care of you. I, the LORD, have spoken!”  (Jer. 1:19; NLT)

About a month ago an acquaintance of mine sent me a great article about the futility of trying.  So, I’m going to “try” to share some of that thinking with you in today’s DG.  Notice how easy it is to say, “I’m going to try to…?”  Why do we keep doing that?  (Myself included!)  Are you aware that you are actually programming yourself to fail when you say you’re going to try to do something?

The author of the article my friend sent is a coach by the name of Richard Flint.  As I do a little research, I see that Flint is not only a coach, but that he also lives in the Hampton Roads region of Virginia.  That makes us neighbors.  Unfortunately, I’ve never met him.  But with regards to this issue of trying, Flint writes, “The behavior of trying is based on the negative side of fear. This means you have to work through the negative emotions you have about the situation in order to get to the positive. For most people, that is too exhausting. So what do they do? They begin with the thought, ‘I’ll try,’ then run into the challenging part of the journey and walk away.”

I personally find that fascinating…and frightening.  Flint goes on to say, “You see, the behavior of trying has an escape clause built into it. It says that if things get too tough, I can say I’ve tried and use that as the justification for not finishing what I started. How many have you known who have done that? Daily, I watch people who have bought into this behavior of trying and use it as the reason they don’t complete what they begin….Trying is not positive effort. It is energy given that is filled with doubt and skepticism. The message is simple — stop trying and start taking positive action!”

The anecdote to try?  Simply decide to do!  It’s all about commitment.  Which approach has a higher probability of success: a) to try to do something, which programs negativity and failure into your subconscious, or b) to commit to do something, which programs success into your subconscious?  If you commit to do something, and then you run into obstacles, you’re far more likely to keep going and find ways around those obstacles than if you did not have a commitment to do it.

As the author of today’s link admonishes, “Commit fully — or don’t bother. If you do not commit fully you are kidding yourself. You are pretending to yourself that you are going to give something your best shot whereas in fact you are going into it prepared to fail and with your failure alibi ready in advance.  When you commit fully you are arming yourself with a belief that you will succeed — do this and you’re half-way there before you even begin.”

Are you beginning to see what a dangerous word “try” is?  We all would do well to do whatever we can to banish it from our vocabulary.  Even if you committed to do something and ultimately failed, you would be far better off than if you said you would try to do it and gave up after running into a bump or two in the road.  After all, all roads have bumps in them.  Bumps build muscles and character, and are what separate the winners from the losers.

Prayer Power
Lord, so often we don’t recognize the subtle, self-sabotaging actions we take against ourselves.  We ask that you would increase our sensitivity and awareness of these little self-imposed traps.  Then give us the grace to purposefully step around them.

Link of the Day
Don’t try — just do it

Blessings on you as you commit to take action on one of your goals this weekend.