That's right, I disagree with the great sage, Yoda.

OK, I'll admit: I'm chasing headlines a bit. I disagree with Yoda half the time, because there is a time for "doing" and a time for "trying."

Distinguishing between the two is important.

You can "do" things you have control over. You can put in an eight-hour workday. You can wake up at 6am. You can go for a run.

But "doing" doesn't apply when it comes to achievements. You can only try to get the results you're after.

I've argued this with a friend before. They advocated for the power of positive thinking—the law of attraction and everything.

Fair. I can't say that doesn't work.

But this is how my brain works: If I say I WILL write a best-selling book, suddenly it has to be good. The bar is set at 100, the pressure is on, and the perfectionist in me licks his lips. You know how easy it is to say, "I don't think I have bestseller-energy in me today?" Some days, it feels like my efforts won't lead to that result I'm after, so I won't bother. When the options are: nail it or fail, I'd rather wait and (maybe) succeed tomorrow than waste my time today.

But what happens if I just "try" and approach the challenge with an amused curiosity: "I wonder what I can do?" The bar is set at zero; there are no expectations; any result is a pleasant surprise—something is better than nothing, after all. It's so much easier to do the work. I don't know if it's going to be good, but that's not really my job.

My job is to show up and play. That's all I can control—that's what I can do. The rest is up to--chance/fate/God/alien overlords/whatever.