comfortable sentiment because it suggests that there are always going to be other opportunities to succeed. The reality is that there are going to be times when you won’t get another chance to make it right. You’ve got to capture that moment because you will never get it back. From this day forward, you are not going to TRY, you are going to DO! You must be decisive and have courage in everything you say and do. As a result, you will start to respect yourself more, and so will other people. They will regard you as a proactive winner instead of someone who does nothing because they are afraid to fail. When you have made up your mind that the only thing you can do is try instead of expecting to succeed, you are accepting that you are putting a limit on what you are capable of achieving. There are times when fate will be on your side, and you will achieve what you set out to with the “try” mindset; however, as a general rule, life will give you exactly what you give to it, and when you take action instead of just trying, you will always get better results. There are different shades of gray to try. This means that when you aim to “try” instead of “do,” you are less likely to hold yourself accountable. When you operate with a “try” mindset, you give yourself plenty of room to give up as soon as you feel that you’ve done enough. How hard will you “try” until deciding that you have done enough? Your effort is difficult to measure, isn’t it? This opens the door to self-deception because now you can tell yourself that you’ve “tried,” even though you’ve made minimal effort. On the flip side of this, when you actually “DO,” the evidence is there for you and others to see. It’s simple—did you go ahead and get the job done or not? Excuses have no residence in the “DO” mentality. If you want to see results, you’ve got to be self-disciplined. BECOME A DOER When you are a “DOER,” you’ve got to trust in yourself and your abilities; but at the same time, you’ve got to be realistic. For example, if you need to lose 100 Ibs., don’t expect to lose the weight because you worked out and dieted for one month. Take an honest inventory of your strengths, weaknesses, and skills. Taking inventory of what you are capable of is an act of self-discipline in itself because it takes courage to confront yourself in this way. Don’t waste time indulging in a “poor me” attitude—this isn’t going to get you moving in the direction of your goals. If you know that you have what it takes to succeed, go out there and get it done. If you want to achieve something that is going to require help from others who are more knowledgeable than you, ask for help. If you need to acquire a new skill set, go out and get whatever qualifications you