Do or Do Not; Change and the Infinite Wisdom of Yoda

So many of us are trying to affect change in our lives, and I am no different.  Too often though, I've heard myself saying, "I'm trying!" when defending some effort I've recently made.  It seems that whenever I do, that little voice inside my head often responds with Yoda's famous line from Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back, "Do or do not.  There is no try." 

For a long time, I never really understood that line.  I'd always known it is referencing a mindset, a point of view - you either decide to do something or you don't, but either way you make a choice. No middle ground.  And in this, my desire to improve my life and make certain changes, I have decided!  "But what am I supposed to say," I asked a friend of mine, "when I have decided, but I'm not there yet?  When I'm committed to making changes, but things aren't quite right, and I'm still working at it?"  Feeling a little offended by Yoda's apparent lack of appreciation of good honest effort, is it not reasonable in this instance to be able to fall back upon the fact that I'm trying?   

It is always amazing to me how the most profound moments of clarity and enlightenment come in such small and non assuming ways.  Grasping exactly what I was struggling with, he thought for a moment, then told me simply, it's because 'trying' to do something lends itself to the possibility of failure.  Period.  And I realized instantly that he was exactly right.  By always telling myself that I am trying, I am giving myself the very convenient option for failure, as if the outcome is out of my control.

When I would think about 'trying' to change my life, the images that came up where ones of struggle, difficulty, set backs and muddling through a painful and arduous process.  But the instant I let go of 'trying', and said "I am doing it..."  the images changed.  You don't have to have already changed your life in order to be doing it.  I am changing my life.  I am doing it, and everyday is just a step closer to it.  When I think of it this way, I do not see any option for failure, I only see my goal somewhere out ahead of me, the light at the end of the tunnel, so to speak. It is amazing too, how different that slight change in words feels.  Again, when I said I was trying, it felt like defeat, something I was saying to defend myself or justify whatever had just happened.  I wasn't aware of the weight of the burden I'd held myself under until I eliminated that one little word. 

I am doing this.  I am, and no matter what happens, every experience, even the negative ones, are all on the same path.  My path to success.  By deciding to DO this, I automatically eliminate the path of failure, leaving only one possible outcome.  I get it now, and Yoda was right...   Do or do not, there is no try.

Thank you for following me.  As always, it is my goal to uplift and inspire and I hope you leave my blog feeling, even just a little bit, better.  - Kim