Note: I’m honored this morning to be a guest writer at My Escape Velocity. I hope you’ll drop over there and check out a really helpful blog—after you’re finished here, of course.
How would you react if you boarded a plane and saw the pilot wearing this button?
Personally, I don’t want the pilot who tries hard—I want the one who succeeds.
Yesterday I wrote a bit about Training. Never mind that subscribers received a message titled “Taining.” I tried to spell it right.
I’m still contemplating this intriguing bit of advice: Stop trying. Start training.
I confess—I didn’t get it at first. I understand the need to prepare, but how does “training” substitute for “trying”?
Jedi wisdom
I was telling someone about my crazy bike-ride project and I heard myself say, “I’m going to try to ride 1500 miles.” My friend reminded me of the wisdom of Yoda, Jedi master and philosopher: Try not. Do or do not. There is no “try”.
“Trying” to complete the project is futile. I’ll ride 1500 miles, reach our fund-raising goal, and speak to a lot of groups about hope and encouragement—or I won’t.
“Trying” doesn’t matter much. I prefer the doctor who trains, gains experience, and succeeds. I’ll avoid the brain surgeon who tries hard.
“Trying” focuses on the result. Steven Covey was right—we must begin with the end in mind. But that end is just a dream until I map out the route.
Here are some of the “ends” I’d like to reach:
- Ride my hand cycle 1500 miles from Minneapolis to New Orleans
- Add several thousand blog subscribers (click here)
- Present my Bouncing Back workshop at several retreats and conferences
- Sell a few thousand copies of Relentless Grace
I can’t accomplish any of those goals today, no matter how hard I try. In fact, the more I focus on these results the more discouraged I become.
“Training” involves the journey toward the goal. It means creating habits, building character, acquiring knowledge, and developing skills. Training is the daily and weekly action items that move me down the road.
Training reinforces correct techniques. Training means doing it right, over and over, without concern for short-term results.
Training allows temporary setbacks. Learning inherently involves mistakes; training allows me to learn from those errors. In fact, that’s the whole point.
Training is its own success. If you’re learning, getting better, and growing, your training is successful.
Training requires me to enjoy the process. Almost everyone would like to publish a best-selling book, win an Oscar, or receive the ultimate recognition in their personal endeavor. That’s the easy part—the end.
But few people want to write every day, sweat over every sentence, and then have an editor shred their precious paragraphs. Almost nobody wants to endure endless casting calls, repeated rejections, and public criticism of their best work.
So if you can’t savor the training, the learning, the behind-the-scenes hard work that happens along the road, you’ll likely never reach the desired result anyway.
I’m thinking about how this applies to living as a follower of Jesus. More about that on Thursday.
What’s your take? I see some obvious holes in this notion of training vs. trying. How about you?
Don’t forget to check out my guest appearance at My Escape Velocity. Say hi to the folks over there for me.
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