I recently began my life as a runner. I unintentionally discovered a world far different from what I had imagined. It never crossed my mind how many emotions arise between the starting point and the finish line. The sweat stinging my eyes, the pain in my knees from a misstep, and the cramps in my calves.
Especially, the urge to stop and give up. To turn back home, make myself a hot coffee, read a book, and stay comfy.
But then I say to myself: “you've come this far, are you really going to waste all your effort?”
It's hard (but not impossible) to give 110%
Every time I go out for a long-distance run, a loop around my city, or a sprint I've logged on Strava, I finish the last 200 meters running as fast as my body will allow. The feeling is, to say the least, strange.
The wind brushes against my body harder than ever before. I feel it resisting my progress. My legs are screaming that they can’t go on. After forty minutes of pushing them, I feel every fiber trembling weakly, begging me to stop. They hurt.
However, it’s strange because the moment I should stop is when I feel (and want) to do so the least.
I close my eyes and think, as I cross the finish line, that I made it. Soaked in sweat, exhaling deeply, and breathing heavily. I made it. But, at the end of the day, I had no other choice since I began.
Or at least, that’s what I’ve believed since I was ten (or maybe younger) when I first watched The Empire Strikes Back and understood the meaning of resilience — though I didn’t know the meaning of that word until many years later.
Luke Skywalker arrived on Dagobah with a single mission: to leave. However, he ended up facing an even greater task: training to become a Jedi and ultimately becoming the hero the galaxy needed. But such a feat can't be achieved by just anyone, that's clear, because it's a path filled with trials and difficulties that are easy to turn away from.
Despite that, Luke became a Jedi. Not just any Jedi, of course, but possibly the most legendary Jedi in the entire galaxy. The question is... how did he manage it, on a swampy planet, with an old alien on his shoulders?
Giving up is far too easy
What made Luke the most mythical Jedi in the galaxy? Was it carrying Yoda for hours? Enduring his reproachful scoldings? Or perhaps tolerating his borderline toxic food for weeks? None of that. What made Luke a Jedi was a phrase spoken by that mysterious green elder who would become his master: “Do or do not, there is no try.”
The true meaning behind this phrase goes beyond simply pushing forward despite adversity or believing we can't do something. This phrase encapsulates an entire philosophy that is anything but fleeting and can even be treated as a mantra with an almost spiritual character.
It also speaks to the fact that, to achieve things, we must change the way we approach them and the situations that arise before us. It would have been easy for Luke to ignore Yoda's instructions and sit around lazily like his master, but…he knew that after every great challenge comes a great reward.
For this reason, he had to surpass himself, leave behind all his old paradigms, and face himself in order to grow as a person, to train and ultimately become someone worthy of saving the galaxy—someone he, himself, would be proud of.
The weak mindset that many of us have, and that Luke himself had when Yoda put him to the test — where we only try our luck with things — should be discarded.
Because no, we are not going to try to achieve things. We are going to achieve them, at all costs; the things we set as our goals. Our dreams, hopes, and aspirations. Even if it means standing on our hands for a long time just because an old man who can barely stand told us to.
Life is a constant "all or nothing." That's why there is no try
Now, I don’t want to sound like a TED Talk guru who thinks that by saying “go out and simply do it” I can change everyone’s life. I know the process of doing things is rough, and that many opportunities often remain as mere attempts due to circumstances beyond our control. The crux of the matter lies in this: if you let everything you do stay as just attempts, the simple truth is this — in the end, you didn’t do it.
Do you understand now what Yoda meant by “do or do not”?
It’s not about simply labeling yourself as "weak" or “incapable”, because there are things beyond our control that prevent us from doing what we set out to do. The lesson from the wisest (and grumpiest) master in all possible galaxies was, in fact, a call to perseverance. A call that, if you try and fail, you only truly fail if you learn nothing from that attempt.
And also, you only fail if you stop trying and give up.
In my country, there’s a popular saying related to believing in ourselves. Its English translation would be something like “believing your own story,” and it refers to the idea that, in order to grow personally and professionally, the first person we need to convince of who we want to be is, precisely, ourselves.
Just like what happened to Luke when Yoda told him to do it, Yoda convinced him that he wouldn't just try. His phrase wasn’t a reprimand, but a word of encouragement. “Don’t try, do it, because you have the ability to do it,” is the most altruistic interpretation of that phrase Yoda said almost half a century ago, which still resonates today, inspiring thousands of people around the world.
The philosophy that forms the pillars of the Star Wars universe has always struck me as surprisingly deep, especially in The Empire Strikes Back. Throughout the movie, Luke builds his identity through an epic journey, only to found his belief system collapsing in front of him.
The battle Luke faces — on a psychological level — when he discovers the truth about his father shakes his core beliefs. Yet, he knew he couldn’t give up. It didn’t matter if he fell hundreds of meters, lost a hand, or lost the weapon that had been with him for so long.
He knew it was either do or do not. As simple as that. So, he took a deep breath and threw himself into the abyss, in search of achieving his goal by another way.
The Force will be with us, always
At the end of this month, I’m going to run my first race. It’s not, by any means, a highly competitive event, but rather a recreational one. It’s not a big deal; it’s not a marathon or anything close. All I know is that if, on race day, halfway through, it starts raining or my legs start shaking, all I need to do is close my eyes and repeat to myself the phrase that marked me the most from a childhood movie.
And give that “extra mile” my future self will be proud of—for not having thrown in the towel.
So, my final message is this: don’t hold back from doing it. Go for it. It doesn’t matter if your next challenge is bringing dinner ingredients to an alien elder who always seems to be rambling or saving the galaxy from an intergalactic empire with an army of countless soldiers. What’s important is that your attempt doesn’t stay as just an intention.
It doesn’t matter if the goal you set is to keep your Duolingo streak, finish that book you left behind, learn that DIY art you forgot, get up on a Monday without hitting snooze for five more minutes, keep pursuing your university degree, or… simply cross a finish line. The most important thing is to remember that you have the strength not to give up.
Because the only thing that matters is that you do it. And remember that there is no try.
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