Words matter!
There is not a statement more true, that so many seem to forget so often. There are many words and phrases we should use more often in our lives. Words and phrases that improve our lives and the lives of others around us like – Love, Hope, Thank you, etc. However, there is one word that surprisingly we should completely remove from our vocabulary. I see it as the most dangerous word we have in our daily vocabulary. What is it?
TRY…
Yep, that little 3 letter word that denotes that we might or might not do whatever, we might give 100%—80%—47%—9% of effort or maybe none at all.
This is one of my favorite quotes of all time. I’m sure you’ll recognize it…
“Do or do not. There is no try.” …Yoda
That pretty much says it all, doesn’t it?
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It dawned on me one day, how many times I said or would think the word “try”. “I’ll try to be there. Try and get that thing done. I’m trying, I’m trying…” and so on and so on and on and on. Look, nobody wants to try. We want to DO, just as Yoda said. So for me, the best way to DO that, was to make a conscious decision to replace the word “try” in my life.(NOTE:To do this or to make any change in your life, you’re going to have to make a conscious decision to commit to it! It’s so hard to do. It’s also so worthwhile when it happens.)
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Step 1 We must consciously decide to remove the word try from our daily lexicon and stop using it in our conversations.
Step 2 Figure out its replacement.
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Believe it or not, one phrase jumped into my head almost immediately. More importantly, it jumped into my heart, seemingly from my soul and I’ve used it ever since. Instead of saying “I’m going to try” I began using…
“I’m going to do my best”
It sounds like a very simplistic change doesn’t it? Well, it is. But simple doesn’t mean it can’t also make a massive positive impact on your life. Think of it this way, you ask someone to come over to your house and if they say “I’ll try,” that tells you they might or might not be there or for that matter and they might or might not care about coming over. But, if they say “I’ll do my best” that gives the impression they’re making a real effort to be there and they do care. Even when you’re talking to yourself, the phrase, “I’ll do my best” or “I’m doing my best” is a real motivator because of the positive words you’re using in that conversation.
As you might have seen in this week’s Weekly Affirmation, every morning I write the following phrase on a piece of paper, “Today, I will do my best, to do my best.” Has doing that made any difference in my life? Absolutely it has! Remember the first words I wrote in this piece? Words Matter. Yes they do. Negative words, even used with the best of intentions still seem to attract more negative words, negative energy and feelings. Positive words have the same attraction with positive energy. They draw in and take us on a positive journey in a positive direction. So yes, this change has had a tremendously positive effect on my life.
Challenge yourself to make this positive change. Feel free to write out my phrase or just be more aware of what you’re thinking, writing and saying. Do it for three or four weeks. Each time you hear yourself beginning to say the word “try,” change it to “do your best.” Each time you begin to write the word “Try,” change it to “Do my best.”
Granted, as we talked about earlier, this seems like such a small change to make. However, aren’t small things, what all big things are made of? Every complex challenge we ever solved was done by solving small problem after small problem to get there.
Words matter!
They matter one small word at a time and one small series of thoughts at a time. After all, That’s how we’ve built our lives up to this point. You are the proof that the concept of doing your best, to do your best continues to make the world around and within you better and your future brighter and brighter.
Words matter!
…..Gregg
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