The Power of Trying
We introduced Sharing Circle in March 2020. The thought behind building something like a Sharing Circle was to provide a more structured, uninterrupted, and supportive environment for everyone to share their feelings and experiences.
But the Sharing Circle wasn’t the outcome of overnight efforts. It was a result of something that the community and teams were thinking and trying to create like that for countless months. All we're trying and giving our best efforts every day. I remember the day when our Academy Dean - Hope drafted the Sharing Circle Script and we went through many edits before the final piece was ready to use for the first Sharing Circle Session. It was the outcome of constant attempts.
Similarly, the same applies to our lives. Life happens every day. Probably some of you may have experienced the worst day at work, some of you experienced anxiety, some going through depression episodes, some facing the impact of traumatic experiences, and some had a breakup and a gazillion other events that made you feel like, “That’s it”. For everyone, even though it looks like different events took place, it is a rough time for one. And yes that’s it! We need to activate the power of trying.
Now many of us think about what is trying and why should we even try if nothing happened in all these years, what is the point of trying now? But there is a point. The point is to improve, to change for the better, to have a less complicated life.
I see trying as something like a seed. If you sow a coriander seed, it is not going to give you potato or coffee. Even though I like coffee and I wish coriander seed could give it. But no. You reap what you sow. Period.
Hereby seed means defining what you need to work on. Your goals. Defining them as clearly as possible. Because when you know what you need to work on, you put your efforts in the right direction. But if it is not clear then even if you put in the effort, it won’t get you anywhere as you may be unaware of your efforts are in the opposite or right direction. This is why it is important to define the seed you are sowing.
When you sow this seed, you take your first step towards creating something new. And after that, all the efforts you make every day will help your plant to grow. And the final plant that we see is the compound effect of the attempts you made every single day. That’s the power of trying!! When things go south, you do not stop. You make another improved try. Because you are determined to create something better.
The goal of this post is to remind all of us that if things went south today, it is okay and you are not alone. Let’s try again tomorrow!! And keep trying with the consideration that the growth timeline of your plant is different than mine or anyone else, and so the amount of trying too.
I know I probably do not know you. I do not know what you are going through and can’t even imagine how you are holding up right now. I do not know what pain you are in and how much you are hurting. But, if it eases your pain a bit, please know you are not alone who are having a hard time right now. We all are having our experiences. Maybe not similar but we all do. But I know that I believe in you and me that we can get through whatever obstacle or challenge we are having right now.
Success stories and media often paint a picture of instant success. We know this isn’t true or realistic. People are successful because they work for it. Thomas Edison said, “the more hard work I put in, the luckier I get” (paraphrased). Trying is absolutely critical to any sort of healing, growth, or success. Trying - really trying - is what enables you to make real progress.
Also, sometimes at school, you can see kids picked on for being earnest or trying. They don’t look as “cool” as some of the other kids. Well, I think trying is cool and transparent trying is even cooler. It is how we become stronger.
All you need is to unlock the power of trying. And for that, you need to start trying. We are trying. The Community is trying. Leaders and listeners are trying. Members are trying. I am trying. Every single person across teams is trying, and through our collective efforts, it creates a chain reaction. We try, we fail, we learn, and then gradually we succeed in trying to achieve better results than before, focused to create a better version of whatever we are working on right now or the next item and so on. If you are trying, you’re always winning, and that’s the power of never giving up.
And here I leave all of us with this question to ponder upon!
Can you think of a time you tried really hard? How did that impact your results?
Great post Obs! Thank you for helping us better understand how important it is to try. It almost feels like it is becoming a lost art. We need more encouragement just like this to not give up and keep trying. Thank you 🙏!
When I first started training gymnastics I was really bad. I would fall a lot and it seemed like everyone around me was way better. I'd come home with bruised legs and feeling down. But I kept going to practice more and putting in the effort. Eventually I got the hang of it, and now 4 years later I'm one of the best ones there. Nothing good comes easy, so it's about whether you think it's worth the effort. And I have to say, experiencing the improvement is an amazing feeling. :")
@ASilentObserver
Wow <3 Very well said Obs! It does take a lot of effort but it pays off in the end! Thank you for all your efforts and for sharing this beautiful post with us :)
I am struggling and i mean struggling and then i read this and now i have my hope back. I feel like i can push through what I'm about to face. Thank you for this post. I am so inspired by this so much so that i wrote it down word for word so I can read it everytime i think about stopping and giving up. Thank you for giving me a reason!
@ASilentObserver
Inspiring, motivating and relatable 💜
Life is a series of obstacles after all. It's like one down one to go 😁
Thanks for the reminder Obs!
"If you are trying, you’re always winning, and that’s the power of never giving up" - so true! There are no limits to what we can achieve! Obs, what a wonderful post, thank you for reminding us and for telling us how incredibly strapping it is to try. We owe that to ourselves ❤️
@ASilentObserver
Hi Obs! 😊❤️ Many thanks for this amazing and incredibly motivational forum post! I read it and was hanging on each and every word that you put here. I have a really strong connection with your thought process and mindset! Just, wow! 👍 And you know, it's as if I can almost feel you through this very screen, the power of your words, your heart and your intention!
Indeed, the "Power of Trying". As for me in life I have a little formula I have created. P =M x A. I have held onto my little concept and for quite some time. This formula is translated to Performance equals Motivation multiplied by Ability. Level of performance is the outcome. The factors involved to the desired outcome....if one is highly motivated (the power of trying) but yet is lower in the area of ability, well, the magic can still happen with the power of trying. Motivation can outstrip and out run lack of ability over time if one truly tries hard enough and perseveres. I call these things hero moments/stories and Cinderella stories! Gotta' love the underdog! The winning in it all!
If one is truly very high in the area of ability but lacks motivation of any kind, I feel that the outcome will not be so very great and level of performance will be low. For me, I believe in my heart that the power of trying can change everything!
7 cups asks for us to know our strengths and play to them. 7 cups wants us to have confidence in ourselves and to know who we are, what we are...play to the strengths and maximize because we all are worthy, special, unique and we all belong here. 7 cups also asks for us to recognize our weaknesses. Acknowledge them and work on them over time. This is the part of the growth process.
I loved how you said "Life happens everyday". It sure does. Reminds me of other concepts that I think of from time to time "where ever you go, there you are". Is it everyone else around us as people that is it fault or is it us? Could it potentially be us that is the common denominator in all of the failed attempts? Do we sit and blame others (aha, comes back to the power of trying) or do we grow? Do we see motivation as intrinsic or extrinsic? Where is our locus of control...internal or external? Along with your thoughts of "Life happens everyday" is for me, "Life is what happens to you when you are planning to do other things, something else".
Leads into your comments about planning, goals and highly defined ones. If someone were to want to build a house there would be many steps involved. One must think, plan, step by step, draw up blueprints with the idea, the plan layed out on paper to see, to visualize. That is the path. Then one must break it down into all of the integral steps to build the house. Big goal is to the build the house. Smaller goals and staying on track are the bite sized pieces. Now, a funny comment perhaps, what is the best way to eat an elephant? Piece by piece.
Enjoyed also what you said about keep trying. Fall down, get up, fall down, get up. There is more to be said about how someone got back up than how they fell down!
Also liked how you brought the concept of luck into the forum post. For me, some days I kind of feel as if perhaps there is no luck, that luck is simply where preparation (the power of trying) meets opportunity!
To answer the question:
Can you "think of a time you really tried hard. How did that impact your results"? For me, yes. I can think of a time that I tried really hard. It was a long term goal. I feel as if I changed the course of history, someones life. For me, it required a high degree of intentionality, unconditional love, dedication, integrity, self sacrifice and the power of trying hard, not just trying hard but stop at nothing. I did it and so did they! ❤️
Obs, *high fives* and big *hugs* 😊❤️ for the amazing forum post!
This is such a powerful post . I definitely remember a time when i tried really hard or for that matter many times where i tried really hard to achieve a goal or a dream or simply a task . And no matter what its outcome was atleast i had the satisfaction that i tried all that was in my power and i gave it my best shot n if it wasnt meant to be then it wasnt and if it was then it did !!
@ASilentObserver
For me, trying is literally an everyday occurrence, between managing cerebral palsy and complex PTSD at the same time.
I, just like anyone else really, have presumably a million reasons to throw in the towel and give up--literally the path of least resistance. But...the moment I would do that, I wouldn't be living anymore.
Our life on this planet is so very finite and so very difficult. And riddled with cliche as this is, I find a certain beauty in the struggle. Even if the struggle can (and has) beat the hell out of me sometimes.
@ASilentObserver
Very well written.
I can think of recent efforts but sadly gave up on a lot recently. I had to.
Trying is complicated- if you try and get what you want, good! If you don't, real bad. It is hard to get up from there and try again
