There is no try: On being the better person
There is no try: On being the better person
by Jen Davies, nerd
April 15, 2026
Growing up a Star Wars kid, I learned a lot from Master Yoda. What I always took away from the famous "Do or do not - there is no try" lesson was that if I really want whatever I'm doing to succeed I should focus and commit to it fully. Half-hearted investments of effort are not going to get the desired results.
It can be really hard to commit to being the better person. In this description I include behaviour and attitudes like: choosing to believe that other people are doing their current best, whatever they're doing. Helping people to improve what they're doing, so next time their best is even better, even when I don't feel like helping. Choosing to offer kindness and grace even in situations where someone has clearly effed something up.
What makes it hard to be the better person is that there are other people who seem to choose to be the worst person, and do the opposite: assuming the worst of people. Gossiping from a distance. Judging and moralizing. (And I'm not religious, but let you who are sinless cast the first stone... honestly! A little self-reflection could go a long way for these folks.)
So I keep trying. I take a deep breath or ten to check on how I'm feeling before I say or write anything in an angered state. I strive to choose my words carefully. I pick my battles. Because I firmly believe the way I'm striving to conduct myself could make the world a better place to live if other people were inspired to do the same.
#masteryoda
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