Harvey Nichols, London, recently advertised the store’s forthcoming Summer Sale. I was surprised and impressed with the rather clever use of the word ‘Try’. Readers may well consider this to be a fairly lightweight, innocuous, three letter word! However let me advise that the word ‘try’ can be a masterful rogue in disguise. Indeed a saboteur!
Harvey Nichols announced “SALE 50% OFF” followed by “Try to Contain your Excitement.” Masterful, I thought. Why?
Let me explain my reasoning. The inclusion of the word ‘try’ in one’s vocabulary implies the possibility of failure and I always like to suggest that you begin to press ‘the delete’ key if the word pops up when you are talking about what you are doing or what you are going to achieve. Imagine saying, “I am trying to succeed. I try to succeed every day…” Is this positively empowering fuel for your psyche? No! You are implying to your subconscious mind … fail … fail … fail. Remember to press the delete key and say instead, “I am succeeding… I am succeeding every day.” Create a new habit and begin increasingly to employ vocabulary consciously, as your subconscious hears every word, and runs the meaning of the word exactly.
So, when Harvey Nichols announces “Try to Contain your Excitement.” Wow! Of course their customers are going to fail! Excitement is a given!
As a professional hypnotherapist, I employ what is called an ‘induction’ to guide you to a place of deep and delicious relaxation. Note that I write ‘guide’ ― an important distinction, as a hypnotherapist cannot ‘make you’ go in to hypnosis. I continue with what is known as the [Dave] Elman Technique. “I am now going to place my thumb on your forehead. What I am doing is … I am closing your eyes from the outside, and what I want you to do, is to close your eyes from the inside. You can do this quickly and easily all by relaxing the tiny muscles around your eyelids. Relax them so much so — that your eyes cannot be bothered to open. In fact, the more you try to open them, the tighter shut they become. Now — when you are absolutely sure that your eyes are so tightly shut, that you simply cannot be bothered to open them. Try them”. I then advise you, that “You may stop trying now.
The inclusion of try in the induction is an effective suggestion … one that by implication implies failure to open one’s eyes. In this context it is appropriate. In truth, the client experiences a disinclination to open them. ‘Try’ however is a word that would not appear in any ‘suggestion’ for positive change and transformation. The appearance of ‘try’ within the body of the induction is there by design. It implies that the client will indeed fail to open their eyes and to enjoy what is a most delicious state of relaxation.
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