Do or Do Not. There is No Try.*

Whenever I hear "I tried" I know there's a "but" coming.   It's become the preface to excuses and lame efforts with less than desirable results.  In effect "try" has come to mean so much less than its definition.

"I'm trying, but..." "I tried that but...."

Merriam-Webster defines the transitive verb "Try" as "to put to test or trial" and "to subject to something that tests the powers of endurance" or the intransitie verb "to make an attempt."  It's actually powerful stuff -- it's how we've come to use it that has weakened the impact of the action.

Because if you're really trying you are doing and you will get a result.  It may not be the result you want, but if you've put the effort into the action, the result is meaningful -- it tells you something. It informs what you should DO next to reach the desired result.

So STOP putting "but" right after "I tried."  Instead use "AND"

"I tried AND I got this result which indicates we should....."

"I tried AND I learned XYZ so now we can..."

"I tried AND it worked so I'm refining and repeating."

It's a small change in language that reflects a HUGE change in attitude, and, in my thinking, success.

* Yoda