Have you ever tried to do something and failed? I’m pretty sure we all have.
Have you ever tried to lose weight, or tried to start eating healthy, or tried to work out every day only to get frustrated a few months later when it didn’t happen?
I used to “try” a lot. I’ve always hated to disappoint people and I’m pretty tough on myself. So, I used to use the term “i’ll try” a lot.
“Trying” gives us a way out. It leaves us an excuse for not achieving something. When I was afraid of failure, or I didn’t want to disappoint someone by saying “no”, I would instead say “I’ll try my best”. Then, in case I didn’t succeed, I could always come back to, “well, at least I tried”.
A lot of us use the same “I’ll try” phrase to either appease someone else, or to appease ourselves into thinking we are going to make an effort. But, in all actuality, if you’re going to “try” to do something, you’re not going to do it, because you’re not fully committed. In the words of Yoda “Do or do not. There is no try.”
Stop Trying, Start Doing
When “try” is a part of your vocabulary, it’s a way of giving yourself an out when you’re afraid of failure. You’ve built in the possibility of failure.
Instead, we need to stop trying and start doing.
There are always obstacles when you are trying to reach a goal. In the world of fitness, the obstacles may be the snacks staring at you in the work break room, or the lack of time to get your workout in that day. If you are committed, you will be able to overcome those obstacles. If you are just trying to reach a goal, those obstacles and temptations will derail you. That’s when you give up.
I recently came across a Michael Hyatt podcast on this very subject. He had 3 tips on how to stop trying and start achieving.
1. Eliminate the word “try” from our vocabulary.
2. Decide to do or not do.
3. Commit 100% to the outcome you want.
Are you trying to lose weight or are you losing weight? Are you trying to eat healthy or are you eating healthy? Are you trying to exercise or are you exercising?
Instead of trying to do those things, commit to doing them. The commitment is the thing that will carry you through. Change “I’ll try” to “I will”.
If you’re not willing to stop trying and commit, you don’t really want it.
I Stopped Trying to Quit Drinking Soda and I Did it
One of my worst habits for the past 10 years or so has been drinking soda. I like them all..Coke, Pepsi, Mountain Dew, Dr. Pepper, Sunkist to name my favorites. Several times over the years I have tried to stop drinking them. I’d go without it for about a week and then I’d cave, or I’d try to limit myself to one a week and that didn’t last either.
I was failing at quitting soda. Until I decided to stop trying and commit.
On December 31st 2014 I had my last soda of the year. I refused to continue saying that I was going to try to stop drinking soda this year. It was the year of doing. And I did it. For 2015 I did not drink any soda! It all came down to the commitment. You can truly do anything if you stop trying and start doing.
If you’ve made some 2016 resolutions and you’ve already given up, I encourage you to just stop trying.
So, my question for you is…what are you going to stop trying to do?
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