The Difference Between Doing and Trying

I saw a quote a few days ago that read “All of your accomplishments begin with a decision to try”.  I could not agree less.

In fact the reason that most people don’t accomplish what they set out to is because they stop at the decision to try.  This is something that the retail food business as been aware of for quite sometime now.  Professor Gavan J Fitzsimons, of Duke University conducted a study which showed that when burger joints place healthy items on the menu sales of french fries go up.  Turns out that that the mere act of considering a healthy alternative grants you permission to tell yourself that at least you tried.  Since you made a valiant effort  you now feel worthy of a reward…so you order the fries.

If the decision to try isn’t enough then where do your accomplishments begin.  They don’t begin with a decision…they begin with action.  The act of starting, or stopping something actually gets goals out of your head and into reality.  For example, last year Iwanted to lose weight.  I had decided to try many times before.  Deciding to try never helped me shed a single pound.  It wasn’t until I stopped eating low quality food, and started recording everything I ate that I saw any progress, and later reached my goal of losing 30 pounds.  Oh…and I had to throw away my ice cream…I’m a ice cream addict.

Even more than starting you accomplish when you actually ship.  Shipping means completing a step in your project, until you’ve completely shipped (finished) the entire project.  In the case of me losing weight shipping looked like making it to the gym and emptying my tank.  If I made to the gym but had reps left in my tank at the end of the session…I had not really shipped.  I just tried.

Something to make you go…hmm! Proverbs 24:16 says that a rightous person falls 7 times, and will try again.  But the wicked stumbles one time, and quits.  Why is the righteous…righteous?  Why is the wicked….wicked? The righteous is righteous because they keep starting, they keep shipping…regardless.  The wicked try’s, encounters hardship, and quits.  Also, notice the dramatic difference between the outcomes of the righteous and the wicked.  The righteous actually falls or fails over and over.  The wicked merely stumbles , and throws in the towel.