Too often we use the words “I’m trying” as an excuse to make us feel better when we don’t get the results that we want.

Here’s an analogy.

Imagine that you are pushing on a door to try to open it. The door is not opening, and so you push harder. The door still does not open. And you tell yourself, “I’m trying really hard to open this door!“

The problem here is not whether you are trying or whether you are putting into effort. The problem is that you are putting effort into the wrong thing! This door does not open when pushed, it opens when pulled! You could push all you want, you could try as hard as you want pushing the door. It will never open.

So what’s the right thing to do?

When you attempt something and it’s not working, instead of trying harder…

• take a step back
• analyze the problem
• come up with a new idea

Maybe, just maybe, the solution is not to try harder, but to try something different!