In a condition of struggle and of failure we must be able to say "I must try harder" or "I must try differently." Both views are essential . A change in either makes for a change in outcome. When we say "I must try harder" we mean that the most relevant variable is something within us - intention, will, determination, "meaning it" . When we say "I must try differently" we mean that the most relevant variable lies in the situation within which intention is being exerted, that we should look to the environment, to the ways it pushes and pulls at us, and in this study find the means to alter that interaction. Allen Wheelis
About This Quote

"I must try harder" is a phrase that can be misinterpreted by many people. It's not the phrase itself that is the problem, but rather the way it's often used. Most people think of this saying as being the one to say when you are working hard at something and failing over and over again. The problem with this kind of thinking is that it can be so discouraging.

It's very easy to become discouraged when you are constantly failing at things or if things are not working out for you. The only way that you are going to get better at things is if you try harder, but how do you know if you are trying hard enough? When somebody says "I must try harder" they are really saying "I must try differently." The phrase "try harder" is often misused because people use it to mean "try harder" instead of trying in a different way. When somebody says, "I must try harder," they are saying, "I need to do more things differently."

Source: How People Change

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