Back to the Basics: Try

We've all heard it before:  


Don't try; do.  


Still, that insidious little cop-out of a verb continues to infiltrate our vocabulary, inadvertently holding us back, slowing us down and cramping our style.


Try introduces the possibility of failure into the scenario in question.  It transmits doubt.  


"We're trying to get this project off the ground."


"I'm trying to quit smoking."


"What I'm trying to say is..."


Notice how weak these sentences/phrases are.  Do you feel the efforting laden in the first sound bite?  The hurdles, the chaos and the blocks?  Would you invest money in his mission?  Do you associate speaker 2 as a smoker, or a non-smoker?  Is person 3 presenting themselves as an effective communicator, or are they acknowledging their failure?


And so we see how this seemingly innocuous try is a tiny, yet powerful and effective means of self-sabotage.


I repeat:  Don't try; do.