"Try not. Do. Or do not. There is no try." - Jedi master Yoda
I saw this quote recently and it really stayed with me. And yes, it's from a fictional Star Wars character, but it's deep and I like it.
When we say, "I'll try to make the party this weekend", what we really mean is, "I am still thinking about it, maybe I'll be there, maybe I won't depending on x,y and z." We don't try in the sense that we get in our car and drive, and the car breaks down.
Trying is really another word for "undecided" in most situations. Maybe what we should do is state the truth, such as "I will be at the party if I am feeling up to it that night." or "I won't be at the party because I have had a long week and need a night to myself."
Sometimes the truth, whether it's stated to someone else or to yourself, is tough to swallow. But isn't failing someone, or yourself, worse? Truth hurts, but indecisiveness floating in the ether can leave a lasting sting. Hmm - that last sentence sounded good in my head, but comes across weird in print. Whatever, it's staying.
Okay - this week, I will practice the truth of Yoda and eliminate the word "try" from my vocabulary in every form - talk, email, text, etc.
I will either commit or not commit.
The truth will be stated.
And it doesn't have to be a harsh truth - the truth can be delivered sweet, sour or bland. Sugar truth, Whiskey truth or Cafeteria truth - take your pick.
So these are my truths for the week:
- I will attend all noon Ab Labs
- I will finish my last final by Wednesday evening
- I will replace the filter in my Brita
- I will get tickets to Yo La Tengo and The Magnetic Fields
- I will clean out the spare bedroom by Sunday & start planning my Ebay sales
- I will untie and retie my kicks rather than slipping them on for better athletic performance
I think that's enough truth for this week. What's your truth?
1 comment:
I like your post. It made me rethink how I'm going to handle the next few crazy weeks. I am not going to try, but will do or won't do. See how it goes.
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