Stop trying!

I’m serious. Right now. Trying is getting you nowhere.

Every attempt is a failure, because trying never leads to completion. Only doing creates accomplishment. If we want to change ourselves, our work, or the world we live in, we must focus on doing rather than trying.

The only thing that keeps us from doing is our fear that we will fail. We surround this fear with all manner of stories: nobody will like us, we will be laughed at, it’ll never work anyway, so why bother? The list of excuses is long. When we dig past all of these fictions, what it boils down to is this: if we do, we might fail. So instead we try.

There are a lot of reasons to try. Trying lets us look like we are making progress without actually putting ourselves on the line. Trying maintains the status quo. Trying allows us to avoid the possibility of failure while making us look noble – Hey, at least we tried!

On the other hand, there is only one reason to do: because you want to actually create a result that might change things.

The act of doing is actually much simpler than the act of trying. Trying involves creating elaborate fictions (more directly, lies): to write a book I need to read up on my favorite authors, lean how to do writing exercises, keep up with the latest buzz on twitter, get a writing coach, join a writing group, create an outline, finish my research, refine my idea… ad infinitum. Completing one of these tasks is not a success because I still have nothing to show.

Conversely, doing involves living the simple truth that we already have what we need to get started. To write a book, I just need to sit down right now and write. Every word I put on paper is a success.

In a world of try-ers, the best try-er wins. Until a do-er comes along. While the try-ers are busy one-upping eachother’s best attempts to play the game, the do-er is changing the entire playing field and creating a new set of rules from which he benefits.

About lesfreeman: | I am a purveyor of inspiration, education, and results in the fields of design, software development, yoga, self-improvement, and animal communication. I synthesize information from seemingly disparate fields into cogent ideas that create change in the world. In short, I help individuals to unleash their potential and connect with others who are doing the same.

Web site: http://lesfreeman.net