What is trying and how does it really differ from doing? Often trying is a function of being in a serious contemplative state. I am trying to quit smoking, really means you want to quit, but are now merely thinking about it and have simply cut back. Yet the act of quitting actually means that you no longer smoke. So, which is it? Have you quit or are you still a smoker? If you listen carefully, you can see the difference here between trying and doing. The person that has cut back on his/her smoking is trying. The one that isnt smoking anymore is obviously doing. Lets say you want to try to climb a mountain. Are you climbing or are you standing at the bottom thinking about how high it is? If you are climbing, then you are in fact in action and may make it to the top, but if youre at the bottom looking up, chances are good you will talk yourself out of it before ever even beginning. Trying in life, and trying your life on like it fits is a whole other way to look at the opportunities that come your way. Think about going to a shoe store to buy the perfect running shoe. You have money in your pocket, time on your side, find several pairs you like and are determined to find the best one you can. All the ones youve found offer something just a little bit different. At first you try on one of each, not wanting to take the time to lace them all. You stand in place trying to distinguish between the two shoes, although you are clearly unbalanced physically and emotionally. Physically, because you are experiencing different sensations in each foot and emotionally, because it is impossible to imagine one shoe, when you are in two. It isnt until you lace up the matching shoe that you feel you can make an informed decision and as the last one is tied, you picture yourself running. Suddenly your frame of mind has changed from trying on shoes, to owning these shoes. You picture how they will be on the track in the morning, how they will hit the pavement in the afternoon and how they will be as the temperatures around you change too. And most importantly, how they will stand the test of time. If they feel comfortable as you round the track, you continue picturing them as yours, now looking closer at the details and colors, until the questions begin to appear. How will they be tomorrow out on the pavement? How will they be at mile ten with achy toes? Hopefully your desire to have the shoes will outweigh your fears and you will buy them anyway. But do you take that same risk with your life or do you tend to leave the shoes behind, never really knowing your full potential as a runner? Take a quick look at your life and the choices you make everyday about your career, friends and relationships. Why do many areas of your life seem to be failing after all the trying youve done? Perhaps because you need to start living and give up the trying for good. Maybe if you stopped trying on shoes and began putting each one on like it just may fit, what you may find is one that does fit. Or maybe youll find it doesnt fit at all and you simply need to wear a different one. Take a look at how you are living your life. Are you living the life you want to live or simply trying to find it? I say, stop trying and start living. At the end of the race, you will be the one with the Gatorade smiling. Just like NIKE says. Life is just a game, so get off the bench and start playing! |
