What "I'll Try" Really Means

How many times during a day do you hear yourself saying, “I’ll try to get that done”, I’ll try to be there”, I’ll try to make the time” or some variation of the “I’ll try” statement. What are we really saying when we use the term, "I’ll try”?

One thing we’re saying is that we really don’t want to do whatever it is that we responded to. If we truly wanted to do it, we would say, "I will be there". If we wanted to do it, but were unable for whatever reason, we would say, “I would love to, but I can’t." By responding, “I’ll try”, we lessen the importance of both the event and our participation in it.

The second thing we’re saying is that we don’t believe we have the capability to do it; and we don' think we have the courage to truly step into whatever the project/issue is. So, we take the easy way out and respond with a statement that has very little, if any, conviction: “I’ll try.” It’s a statement that keeps us stuck in our story of not being good enough, smart enough or strong enough to successfully achieve the task.

The third thing we're saying is that we don't even hear the ambivalence in our response because we have gotten so used to answering with a middle of the road response. We don’t realize that by replying with “I’ll try” instead of a "yes" or a "no", we are giving up our power. We are allowing other people and other circumstances carry us along to an endpoint that we may or may not like.

The language we use on a daily basis is a mirror of how we see ourselves and what we believe about ourselves. Phrases such as “I can’t”, “I should”, and “I’ll try” convey a very different message than the phrases, “I will”, “I want”, and “I can”. When we start to exchange weak language for stronger, more empowered language, our confidence grows and we begin to live our lives from a very intentional and courageous place. And it is from this place where we will find happiness, joy and success.

I invite you to start observing your language and see if the actual words you are using convey the message and/or the emotion you want. If not, try substituting stronger, more intentional words and see what happens. I think you will be pleasantly surprised with the results.

Change your language, change your thoughts. - Karl Albrecht