The next time you say, “I’ll try,” remember the words of Yoda:

“Do or do not... There is no try.”

Try implies an effort that may or may not be successful. It indicates a reservation, an uncertainty, and a lack of total commitment.

I’ve observed that “try” is a useful word when it refers to a method, a strategy, or a procedure. “I’ll try this way or that way” means something very different than “I’ll try to get this done.”

However, I’ve also notice how “do” replaces “try” when we are certain of the outcome!

When we are confident of the outcome, “do” becomes our “verb of choice” instead of “try.”

I’ve observed that one of the key ways we instinctively and unconsciously choose “do” over “try” is the image we hold in our imagination.

When we see the desired and successful outcome clearly in our mind’s eye, we say “do” with certainty and confidence.

When we don’t see a clear mental image of a desirable outcome, we say “try” with uncertainty and tentativeness.

Here’s a technique I designed that points out the difference.

Take a deep breath.

Elevate your gaze as if looking at an imaginary point just above a distant horizon.

Call to mind your most daring and exciting dream. What is the aspiration that captures your attention, stirs your blood, and fires your imagination?

Let your creative mind make a mental picture of this accomplishment. See the image with crystal clarity, in vivid color, and bathed in bright light.

Does this look like something you will “do” or “try?”

The image is so clear and immediate you might even use the present tense and say “I’m there!”

Let this clear image dissolve.

Replace it with essentially the same picture only with these differences.

See the image in black and white. Distort the clarity of the image so that it looks foggy, murky, and indistinct. Dim the brightness so that you almost need to physically squint to see the imaginary image.

Now which verb comes to mind, “do” or “try?”

In this case, the best you can “do” is “try!”

When you recognize that the difference between “do” and “try” is the image you see in your mind’s eye, you can transform “try” into “do.”

See the image with clarity, vivid color, and bright light.

Then “do.” There is no “try.”

May the Force be with you!