Over the years, I have taught myself to recognize this phrase (“I’ll try.”) and question its validity immediately.
I have come to learn from experience that these two words really mean, “I’ll give your idea or invitation a moment or two of consideration before I come up with some lame excuse of why I can’t follow through as suggested.”
“I’ll try” is similar to the shopper’s knee-jerk comeback… “I’m just looking.”
Let me save you an enormous amount of time and future frustration. When confronted with a suggestion that you do something outside your immediate personal game plan, or perhaps it will come colored like a “favor,” respond with a more definitive response.
- “I will be there.”
- “You can count on me.”
- “Consider it done”
- “I will add that to my list and eventually get to it.”
- “That sounds interesting. I will do it.”
- “As cool as that sounds, I do not feel I have a snowball’s chance in hell to get to that. Sorry.”
- “As long as we are being honest, I don’t like you and I never have. Ever since you beat me to the punch and asked Mary Jane Smertz to the prom, I crossed you off my BBL (Best Bro List). Here are my two words for you; Buzz Off.”
(Oooops! Funny how pent up chagrin manages to find its way to the surface. I digress. My bad.)
I guess what I am implying is to not bite off more than you can chew and then temporarily mislead people into thinking you can do more than you can do.
Of course, I endorse the idea of you extending beyond your current reach and to “try” a whole bunch of new things. But in this case, “I’ll try” is just another way of delaying the inevitable.
Do or don’t. You will or you won’t. Try? (I don’t think so.)
Hang in there. Before you know it, you will back on firm footing doing what you do best. This crisis will end one day and the three words I never want to hear from you are: “I should have …”
Now go have yourself a day and make yourself proud.
Mike Marchev is always looking for a few more proactive travel professionals to join his Sales and Marketing Club. Send for details.
