Instructor Certification Programs
A try is the major way of scoring points in rugby league and rugby union football. A try is scored by grounding the ball in the opposition's in-goal area (on or behind the goal line). Rugby union and league differ slightly in defining 'grounding the ball' and the 'in-goal' area (see next section).
The term try comes from try at goal, signifying that originally, grounding the ball only gave the opportunity to try to score with a kick at goal.
A try is analogous to a touchdown in American and Canadian football, with the major difference being that a try requires the ball be simultaneously touching the ground in the in-goal area and an attacking player who is in the field of play or in-goal. (Oddly enough, the official name of the extra point in American football according to NFL rules is the try.) In the laws of both forms of rugby, the term touchdown formally refers only to grounding the ball by the defensive team in their in-goal. Although occasionally people refer to a try as a 'touchdown', the correct usage for the action is 'grounding the ball'.
Interesting stuff… I never knew or considered the fact that the word could be used for something other than as a lame ass excuse for not getting something done. Imagine.
I had a conversation with a good friend recently and he always used to catch me when I would say the word “try”. He explained to me that the word “try” is a self defeating word and it sets yourself up for failure.
It took me a little bit of time to understand, but soon I found out that the word “try” has failure presupposed and written all over it.
In my mind, there are 2 different meanings to the word “try”.
1) There is a question one might ask such as “Have you ever tried snowboarding”, in which someone could say they haven’t and wanted to. Fair enough.
2) There is the example of saying to yourself ”I’m going to try to make $250,000 this year”.
Ok… let’s look at that.
In the first example, I have programmed myself to not say the word anyways, so I would just simply ask someone “Have you ever snowboarded”, because just like Yoda says “Do or Do Not, there is NO Try”
But in the second example, when you tell yourself you are going to “try” to do something and then you don’t do it, you get comfortable with the word and with the feeling attached to it. You basically are giving yourself a great excuse. If it doesn’t work out, at least you said you will “try”. What more can you ask of me?
Lets’ be honest here. That’s bullshit, in its most fresh and fragrant form and before the eyebrows go up too far, I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve gone down that road many a time myself through the years.
How many times have you told your kids or your staff – “I know you can do this, just do the best you can.” In other words, TRY.
If you say you are going to “try” to make a difference in the world, this is just giving yourself the excuse that you don’t have to do it, but you sounded pretty good saying it.
This word when used, can seriously hold you back at a subconscious level, and it’s something you shouldn’t accept in your life. Your words and self talk are very powerful, and if you want to see change, then change the way you talk to yourself.
Become aware of when you are saying the word and replace it with action words such as “do” and “will.”
“I will meet you for coffee”
“I will do that report for you”
“I will phone you next week”
“I am thinking” – it amuses me when people tell me they are “trying” to think. What does that even mean?
Most of us know those words from the sage Yoda in the "Star Wars" movies, but it’s a common corporate mentality that holds water in today’s competitive climate. Do a job right or don't do it--whether your job is picking up your desk or developing a proposal for an employer--it doesn't matter. What matters is that you're doing it. Trying it gives you an out, carte blanche to give up or quit. An easy “walk-away” excuse.
When I stopped trying to do things and just started doing them, much of the guilt that my Type A perfectionist personality imparted upon me vanished.
“Try” has become part of our vocabulary, but it limits our abilities to focus on a goal and commit completely to achieving something big.
As a way to illustrate this, let’s do a quick activity. If you are sitting down, stand up.
Are you standing? Now … try to sit back down.
No, don’t sit down, TRY to sit down.
How did that work? What do you notice? The bottom line: You can’t try to sit down – you either sit down or you don’t.
Is that same principle not also true of goals or something we set our minds to – that we either do them or we don’t? We either accomplish or don’t accomplish what we set out to do.
In a take-off from what Tom Hanks said in the movie League of Our Own, “there’s no trying in life.” (Well, he actually said, “there’s no crying in baseball,” but you get the point!)
The point is that you can’t try to achieve whatever you set out to achieve – ultimately, you either achieve it or you don’t.
Consider how often we either hear others say “try” or we say “try” ourselves. How much more powerful and accomplished might we be if we took that pesky three-letter word out of our vocabulary?
Here are some examples across a wide spectrum of areas:
Your kids: from “Yes, Mom, I’ll try to get my homework done before dinner,” … to … “Yes, Mom, I’ll get my homework done before dinner.”
In a meeting at your workplace: from “I’ll try to talk with them about the project,” … to … “I’ll talk with them about the project.”
With your wife/husband/significant other: from “Let’s try to spend more time together on the weekends,” … to … “Let’s spend more time together on the weekends.”
In your life: from “I’m trying to exercise three times a week,” … to … “I am exercising three times a week.”
Do you notice the difference in how the statements above sound when the word try is in them or not in them?
So, here is your challenge: For the next week, don’t just try to do whatever you are focused on – do it without the “try” in your sentence.
Catch others in the act too – have them try to sit down to illustrate your point. Let me know how it goes!
The least you can do is “try”… right?
“The way to get started is to stop talking and start doing.”
Walt Disney (1901–1966)
American entrepreneur & entertainment icon
