The Three Worst Words You Can Use

CAN'T..........TRY…….BUT!!!! I shudder when I hear those three words. Those are the three worse words you can use and let me explain why.

The word “can’t” is always a lie and typically means “I don’t want to, and I do not want to be held responsible as well.” The word “can’t” stops brain function. When you say you “can’t” do something your brain says “OK” and that’s it. No more productivity, the brain moves on to something else. The problem is, NOTHING POSITIVE HAPPENED. Now, when you get rid of the word “can’t” and replace it with “How can I possibly…..” something amazing happens in your brain. You have now given your brain something to work on and it will begin to go through the process of problem solving. If you ask yourself “How could I possibly find time to get to a gym” your brain will start working on a solution. Maybe you can come into work earlier and leave a little earlier, maybe you can meet your spouse at the gym on lunch break, and maybe you can get up an hour earlier and come before work. The brain will continue to come up with new ideas as long as you stimulate it. Do not shut down your brain by using the word “can’t.”

The next evil word is the word “try.” This word is used to justify the failure you intend to pursue. If I “try” to do something I am already letting myself off the hook before I have taken my first action to succeed. “Oh well, I tried.” NOT OK. If you “tried” to do something and fail you do not stop there. You need to make a decision to either do it, or do not do it. As my mentor, Yoda stated in the Empire Strikes Back, “Try NOT! Either do or do not, there is NO TRY!” Those are some of the wisest words ever spoken by a puppet. An example I give to my clients is I place a pen on the desk and ask the client to “try” to pick it up. When they reach out and pick it up I explain, “You are not listening, I asked you to “try” to pick it up. You actually picked it up and therefore overachieved based on my instruction. The point is, we spend too much time justifying why we are going to fail and satisfying ourselves by saying “I tried, or I did my best.” Winston Churchill once said “Your best is only good enough when it satisfies the task at hand. I do not care if you “tried” or “did your best.” Stop acting like it is ok to quit, just because you “tried.” The word “try” is also what I call a “suckers” choice when someone does not want to commit to making a decision right now. “I will try to make it to the gym 3 times a week.” Once again this is another excuse to not succeed and justify the effort, or lack thereof. Eliminate the word “try” and begin to “DO.” Do not ever “try” to do anything again. Make the decision to make it happen and you will be blown away by how many things you are now getting done.

The last of the worthless words is “but.” This is the beginning of justifying your failure, and then excusing it as if it wasn’t failure. Saying things like “I tried the gym, but it was just too inconvenient.” Or another one of my favorites is “I really want to get in shape, but my kid’s just need me too much.” Let me tell you what your kids really need. They need you to stop making excuses about why you are not happy with the way you look and feel. They need you to get off your butt and be a good example to them of how to live a great life with energy and vitality. You get off your seat, start getting in shape and watch how all of sudden you have more time at the end of the day because you are actually motivated to get things done during the day. Watch how much more energy you have to actually play with your kids and be a part of their life. You sitting at home on the couch to “be there” for your kids does nothing for them except DOOM them to a mediocre life as an adult that is filled with excuses and regret.

All these reasons, and more, are the reasons why we have banned the words “Can’t, try, and but” from the gym. If you are caught using these words you will be required to put a quarter in the Yoda bank at the front desk. If you are a BOOTCAMP student it is a dollar! If you do not have a quarter we will happily accept 25 pushups. This will eventually help you eradicate these three toxic words from your vocabulary and put you on the path to reaching your true achievement and potential.

We will see you on the wall of fame. No excuses, No whining, JUST RESULTS!

Victor Brawner
Fitness Hero