I have been reading a book and really liked something the therapist in it says. He avoids the word try and coaches his clients to do the same. What he says is the word try implies failure. Instead he suggests we use the word practice. I have been thinking up sentences where I would use the word try and replacing it with practice and it works really well. As I think about it all things worth doing take practice. I think this will be a great parenting tool. Rather than telling my kids try I will tell them to practice which implies learning and then eventually success.
It is amazing how words can transform our expectations from negative to positive. Half of the work I do is helping people to see situations from different angles and ideally find hope. The task is not to ignore reality but to open up the possibilities. What actually inspires some people to take action and others not is a whole other story. Once I figure that out I will bottle it and make a fortune!
