Does mindset determine outcome and, if so, how do
passive aggressive words like ‘try’ impact mindset?
I’ve come to the conclusion that ‘try” is a four letter word.
- Try = Do One’s Best
- Try = Take A Stab At It
- Try = Song & Dance
- Try = Off The Hook
- Try = FAIL
“Do, or do not. There is no try.”
This well know ‘Star Wars’ quote is no more true than it is in business.
On the surface, when someone says “I’ll Try”, it may sound positive or that
there’s an agreement to a course of action. But in actuality, it’s negative
and uncertain.
Of course, when someone ‘tries’, it doesn’t mean that they’re certain to
fail. But it does mean that they are uncertain of success. And to put it more
strongly, they’re not committed to success and, in fact, that they accept that
FAILURE IS AN OPTION.
To “Try” is to not fully commit
To “Try” is to excuse underwhelming performance
To “Try” is to give permission to fail.
Often, the thing we say in the face of a challenge is “I’ll try” because we
don’t know “how” to make it happen. We evaluate the probability of
success before we decide to commit to success. Why is that? Are we
stacking our average or are we afraid to fail? In all likelihood, it’s both.
Figuratively, it’s like crossing the fingers behind the back.
“I can’t be held responsible for my lack of success if I
wasn’t truly committed to success in the first place”.
The key is the decision. It’s not only important to have a clear picture of
what your success will look like, it’s also important to decide that you
will be successful.
I came across something in a book I was reading. It’s called The Game Of
Life and How To Play It by Florence Shinn. She was talking about
the affect thoughts have on outcomes. I had heard of this concept before,
however, this time I actually listened. There were three things that struck
me. One is the strictness of the discipline. That is, the smallest negative
thought has an impact. Two, that controlling my thoughts is a journey
not a destination. And three, imperfection is not grounds for self
condemnation.
Just as we consider our integrity on the big things, the white lies, the
exaggerations and the minor verbal inaccuracies should not be brushed
under the carpet. Especially when we’re proclaiming some limitation. They
should be confronted, in the moment, and contradicted. Repeating the positive
to counteract the negative. Being in a constant state of improvement so that
perfection is not the expectation.
Recently, I had the opportunity to attend a conference. However,
I didn’t have the money to buy a ticket. I really wanted to go, so
I decided to relax, think positively and do all that I could so that my
future sales would cover the cost of my ticket. As time went on and
my business volume was still less than the cost to the ticket, I decided
to take a closer look at how I was thinking and what I was believing.
It’s true, I was focusing on sales building activities but there was evidence
that I didn’t truly believe that I was going to be successful. If I was sure
I was attending the conference, I would have scheduled vacation time
at my job. I hadn’t done that. I would have booked my flight. I hadn’t
done that either.
As long as we consider failure as a possible outcome, failure becomes
much more likely.
The farther I go into my entrepreneurial career, the more I see
the impact thoughts and words have on results. And that mindset
can be guided by thoughts and words to produce desirable
outcomes.
Tags: mindset
Stacy – You are so right that mindset plays a huge part in every aspect of our lives! If we don’t expect to succeed – then chances are we won’t. Thanks for the insight
Ya, I started out hitting the ground running, doing “things”. Come to find out, slowing down and doing what I used to think was unimportant, has actually made a big difference.