How Does “Trying” Work?

How often do we use the word “try”? Things like…

“Thanks; I’ll try that.”

“Let’s try this out and see how it works.”

“You better try this instead of that.”

How does “to try” work? Here’s an example…

Try to grab a glass of water with your right hand. It’ll work if you’d just try. ;-)

The result… You either do grab the glass or you don’t; there is no try. (“Try” does sound softer though, doesn’t it?)

Here’s a hint: When you try you start the vicious circle of thinking-planning-thinking. The word “do,” on the other hand, is a lot more powerful (yet carries some sort of a commitment with it, right?). So let’s reword the above a little…

“Thanks; I’ll do that.”

“Let’s do this and see how it works.”

“You better do this instead of that.”

Does sound better, doesn’t it?

Now, take a look at the words you choose throughout the day. How often do you use the word “try”? How much more power would you give your mind when you’d use the word “do” instead?

Well, why not simply try do it to see the results? ;-)

—Marcus Hochstadt