I loved the Star Wars movies. My favorite character, of course, is Yoda, just as my favorite Star Trek character is Mr. Spock. I love the logic and the way both think in their respective roles. I can truthfully say I've learned a lot over the years by adopting a Mr. Spock style, if you will. When it comes to Yoda however, I was a bit older when he was introduced, so I've basically just enjoyed his sense of ethic.

However, there's a line he uses in the second Star Wars movie (which is really the 5th, but I'm not splitting hairs) when the Luke character is working on his Jedi skills and Yoda gives him a task which he feels is somewhat insurmountable. Luke says "I'll try." Yoda says "Try? Do or do not; there is no try."

I've thoroughly embraced that phrase for more than 20 years as kind of a goal in life. We all say that we'll try to do something, yet we either fail or don't even give it a shot. It can be hard to just "do" something first or second time out, or even ever.

I've started rethinking that line just a little bit. I think the message is a bit strong for many people. Many people won't try something at all because they're afraid to fail or look silly. Many people won't even try because they're not comfortable enough with whatever knowledge or skill they feel they don't have. And many people won't try something because they've had a bad experience with something similar; that's probably the reason I don't eat fruits and vegetables. lol

Sometimes "try" is a major step in a person's life. Babies don't immediately start walking; they "try" it out first. No one really knows what foods they will or won't like; they "try" things out when they can.

Everyone is actually a "try-er" more than a "doer" because doing means you're going to do something and that'll be that, and you'll continue doing it. Most gyms you go to give you a short period to try them out to see if you feel you're comfortable enough to keep up with a workout regimen. That's because they've learned that many people will balk at having to pony up a lot of money up front without knowing just what the experience of going to a gym on a regular basis will be like. Yet they want to encourage that first step, hoping the person will say "yes, I can do this."

I tend to believe that when you have an evaluator with you, someone who has more trust in your skills than you do based on observation, that telling someone to "just do it" works wonders. I also believe that telling someone to "just do it" when you have absolutely no idea if they can do it or not, or what the ramifications might be to that person, is often reckless. Just because you might have a certain skill or talent doesn't mean everyone shares in that talent.

So, for those of you who are hesitant, go ahead and "try"; who knows, maybe you'll end up being a doer after all.