What’s a personal mantra or philosophy you live by?
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My favorite piece of advice comes from Yoda, little green dispenser of wisdom from the Star Wars universe. He says, “Do or do not. There is no ‘try’.”
I fervently believe this. Not that I don’t fail sometimes. This week in choir, I failed to hit the top notes in an alto part. But I gave it my best effort. And ‘trying’ often isn’t our best effort. Sometimes it’s a way of psyching ourselves out, as if trying automatically means failing. Or it’s a way to convince ourselves not to succeed. Or it’s a committment to not succeeding — “Oh, well, I tried.”
I commit to doing. I commit to it wholeheartedly. Sometimes I do a spectacularly poor job of it. But I do — or do not. There is no ‘try’.
