When Saying “I Tried” Isn’t Enough

How far are you willing to go?

Is saying “I tried” ever enough?

It’s Situational

The fact of the matter is it does depend. And it is situational.

Instead of saying “I Tried My Best, But …”
Hold Yourself to a Higher Standard

Obviously there are different levels of commitment and different causes to fight for.

There are times where it’s literally a life and death situation and these situations do bring out the best in people and in these cases I’m confident they can honestly confirm they tried their best and did their best.

However, there are other times where it might be a casual acquaintance or something that is of much less importance to you. At those times you might just be willing to say “I tried my best”, but here’s my suggestion.

Instead of saying “I Tried My Best, But …”
Hold Yourself to a Higher Standard

I Tried … Really!

When you really apply yourself and put yourself out there people will notice. Guess what? They will also notice the opposite scenario. If you want to stand out in your career you want to make sure you stand for something and included in that something is delivering on your promises.

I Tried … Isn’t Enough

The next time you hear yourself saying “I Tried” consider for a moment … Did you really?

Instead of saying “I Tried My Best, But …”
Hold Yourself to a Higher Standard

Hold yourself accountable to this standard first. Then hold others to the same standard. When we all really can say “I tried my best” with our heads held high knowing that we truly did then there is no need for the follow-on “but …”

Better yet … Instead of saying “I tried my best” seek to be able to honestly say “I did my best”

So, ask yourself … Are you really doing your best or just trying your best?

As Yoda said in Star Wars “Do. Or do not. There is no try.”