My one and only goal for 2018….
My one and only goal for 2018 is to STOP TRYING!
Mr. Thompson, one of my greatest mentors use to ask me what was I up to? I would always respond with:
“Well, I’m trying to…”
or “I’m trying to go…”
or “I’m trying to do…”
He would always reply back with a very stern:
“IF YOU ARE TRYING, THEN THAT MEANS YOU ARE NOT DOING!”
In December of 2016, about a week after I had an amazing Thanksgiving breakfast at Mr. Thompson’s house, he passed away. He was one of the strongest men that I have ever known. So strong, that even at that breakfast he didn’t tell anyone he was dying of cancer and never once showed a sign of being sick.
Rest in Peace Mr. Thompson, I love and miss you. More on him in another post.
Before we continue, let’s take a look at Webster’s definition of the two words TRY and DO. Because I am sure you are interested.
TRY or TRYING
1: to make an attempt at —often used with an infinitive try to fix the car
DO or DOING
1: to bring to pass: carry out do another's wishes
"it is my earnest desire to know the will of Providence … and if I can learn what it is I will do it" —Abraham Lincoln
3a: perform, execute do some work did his duty
I don’t know about you, but after reading the definition of “TRY”, Mr. Thompson’s outlook on the word makes a world of sense. The quote from Abraham Lincoln alone takes on an entirely different meaning if you replace DO with TRY. In my opinion saying TRY immediately opens the door for failure and uncertainty. Words give you power! If you expect success using words that speak success is the key to achieving any goal in 2018 and beyond.
So the next time someone asks you what are you up to what will your response be?
My response will be:
"I am DOING...!”
Because if you are TRYING, then that means you are not DOING!
Happy New Year and I wish you much success in 2018. #HappyNewYear #EmbraceTheJourney
Senior Network Engineer at Oracle Health and AI
4 个月Not sure how this popped on my feed. It hits home in many many ways. You had a great mentor. Those are life changing words Thank you bro, sincerely
IT Support Desk Technician II at Members Choice Credit Union
6 年As Yoda always said: “Try not. Do, or do not. There is no try.” ????
NOC Control Tech II at Sprint
6 年Rather poetic Mr lightfoot. And also resptectable mr. Thompson seems like he left a large imprint in your life. I am sure that he would be happy his memory is being honored. I agree with the concept but my own father always pounded into my own head that trying to succeed meant also doing what you needed to succeed. As a side note, i sent you an invite/connection request.
Keynote Speaker | Sr Network Engineer | CCNP Security | AWS | Security+
6 年Thanks for sharing this inspirational message! it reminds me of the quote by Henry Ford "whether you think you CAN or you think you CAN'T you are right."