Do or Do Not

I’m writing this from my family farm in Wisconsin. Picture an idyllic Midwest retreat: a cozy kitchen with views of a lily-pad-covered lake out front, and rolling farmland stretching out the back.

Guns.
Cheese.
Classic cars.

The Midwest Dream.

I’ve found my way back to “the farm” during many phases of my life, most often in childhood, and unfortunately, less and less as I’ve gotten older.
Each time I return, I’m reminded of the same simple truths:

• We all need more time in nature

• Friends and family should be a priority

• Your problems exist only if you let them

That third lesson is the one I want to emphasize this week, and it’s the basis for this newsletter’s title. It also happens to be a direct quote from Yoda:

If you don’t know who Yoda is, or the scene this line comes from… God help you.

But as a refresher:
Yoda is a Jedi master: wise, serene, and deeply attuned to The Force, an inner power that allows the Jedi to lift objects, move fast, and perform all sorts of cool shit.

In the scene I’m referencing, Luke fails to lift his crashed ship from the swamp using The Force. Frustrated, he blurts out: “I’m trying!”

Yoda, calm as ever, responds:
“Do or do not. There is no try.”

His message is simple, and if you look around, it’s everywhere in nature.
A tree doesn’t try to grow. It grows.
The wind doesn’t try to blow. It blows.
A person doesn’t try to heal. They are healed.
You either are, or you are not.

No in-between. No trying.

Just doing and Just being.

Cheers friends,

Don Rob