TRY
It seems so small,
but it isn’t.
Just three letters.
For some,
this word is usual,
something they say
without a second thought.
But for many,
this word is a line of hesitation,
a burden,
a fear.
It is a word
we first hear in school,
yet something
we have been doing
from the moment we are born
until the day we die.
For some,
this word becomes their life.
For some,
this word becomes a lie.
Funny, isn’t it?
How easy it is
to tell someone else,
“Why don’t you try?”
But when it is our turn,
we hesitate.
We fear.
Sometimes,
we cry.
Actually,
trying is not tough.
What is tough
is what happens
after trying.
Some try from the beginning
and, after trying again and again,
reach their goals.
Some try a little
and convince themselves
that they have tried enough.
Some try with everything
they have,
fighting for their dreams
as if their lives depend on them.
And some don’t even try.
Not because they don’t want to,
but because they fear
the laughter of others.
They fear being wrong.
They fear failing.
They fear becoming
someone else’s joke.
And honestly,
I don’t blame them.
All five fingers
of our hand are different.
So are people.
Some try and win.
Some try and lose.
And some never try at all.
I was one of them.
I started trying
everything very late,
when most people
seemed to be natural at it.
But perhaps
it wasn’t too late.
Because since childhood,
I had always been
an audience member.
I sat there,
clapping for the performer
on the stage,
watching them receive
the praise,
the applause,
the attention.
And somewhere inside,
I wondered,
“When will I be the artist?”
“When will I stand on that stage?”
“When will I perform?”
“When will people clap for me?”
“When will they know my name?”
I had the dreams.
I had the wishes.
But I didn’t have the courage
to try.
There was always
a voice inside me asking,
“What if I do it wrong?”
“What if I fail?”
“What if everyone laughs at me?”
So I stayed in the audience,
watching others
do the things
I secretly wanted to do.
I never took
the word “try” seriously.
Until one day,
I realized
that time was moving.
And maybe,
this was my chance.
Because if I didn’t try now,
then someday
my life would be completely different.
I would no longer be a student,
but a teacher.
No longer a child,
but an adult.
No longer a daughter,
but a parent.
And perhaps,
years from now,
I would look back
at this version of myself
and ask,
“Why didn’t you try?”
“What if you had taken
just one step?”
Maybe I would have failed.
Maybe people would have laughed.
Maybe I would have lost.
But at least
I would have known
that I tried.
Because I didn’t want
to carry that hollow feeling —
the pain of knowing
that I had a chance,
but was too afraid
to take it.
I didn’t want
my future self
to look back at me
and ask,
“You had the chance.
Why didn’t you?”
So this time,
I stood up.
I took the first step.
I tried.
I tried everything —
from songs to dance,
from handwriting to slogans,
from speeches to seminars,
from college level
to state level.
And every first step
came with its own storm —
fear,
nervousness,
adrenaline rushing through me,
and my heartbeat rising
as if it wanted to run
before I could.
There were moments
when I wanted to step back.
But I didn’t.
I tried.
And surprisingly,
it felt good.
Not because I won.
Not because I became
the best.
But because
I was doing something
for the first time.
It was exciting —
new ideas,
new experiences,
new people,
new places,
and most importantly,
a new side of myself.
I began to understand
that trying
was never only about winning.
Sometimes,
trying itself
is a victory.
Because I was no longer
the person I used to be —
the one sitting in the audience,
clapping for others,
waiting for her turn.
I was finally
stepping onto the stage.
But stepping onto the stage
didn’t mean
I suddenly won everything.
I didn’t.
Honestly,
I lost many.
Some even made fun of me
for trying things
I knew nothing about,
things I was still learning.
It hurt.
Of course it did.
But I kept going.
And yes,
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I won a few.
To someone else,
they might have been
just prizes,
just certificates,
just another name
on a winners’ list.
But to me,
they meant something much bigger.
Because I was once the person
who had nothing to give
to her father
to make him proud
during school
and even in my early college years.
I was someone
whose name was known
by almost no one.
And now,
towards the final stage
of my student life,
I had won.
Not everything.
Not every time.
But enough
to make me realize
how far I had come.
The person
whose name was once unknown
was now hearing,
“Are you the one
who spoke today?”
People recognized my face.
They recognized my voice.
They recognized me.
Maybe for others,
it was just another event.
Another competition.
Another ordinary day.
But for me,
it was overwhelming.
So overwhelming
that I felt like crying.
Not because I had won.
Not because people praised me.
But because finally,
after all those years
of watching,
hesitating,
fearing,
and wondering,
I had done it.
I had stepped onto the stage.
I had stopped being
just the audience.
I had finally
tried.
And I know,
some might say,
“Not everyone can win
after trying.”
And they are right.
Not everyone wins
after their first try.
Some try from childhood.
Some try again and again.
Some fail many times
before reaching their goals.
And some keep trying
without ever getting
what they wished for.
But perhaps
winning was never the point.
The point was
to take that first step.
To step onto the stage —
whether that stage
is a competition,
a classroom,
a dream,
a career,
or simply life itself.
Because if you don’t try,
how will you ever know
if you can do it?
How will you know,
“I am good at this,”
or,
“No, this isn’t for me”?
How will you discover
your strengths
if you never give yourself
the chance to fail?
Everyone’s fear is different.
Some don’t try
because they are afraid.
Some because
they aren’t interested.
Some because
they are afraid of judgment.
Some simply
don’t know where to begin.
But for me,
taking that first step
was one of the most important
things I have ever done.
Because if I had never tried,
I would never have known
that I was talented too.
I would never have known
that I could be good
at so many things.
I would never have discovered
that I could do things
I once thought
were not meant for me.
I would never have found
my confidence.
I would never have learned
to believe in myself.
And perhaps,
I would still be sitting
in that audience,
clapping for someone else,
wondering when
my turn would come.
But now,
I know.
The stage was never
only for other people.
I had a place there too.
Maybe I won’t always win.
Maybe I will fail again.
Maybe someone will laugh.
Maybe my hands will shake
and my heart will race.
But I would rather
stand on that stage
and fail
than remain in the audience
wondering what could have been.
So,
if there is one thing
I would like to say,
it is this —
Try.
Always try.
Even when it hurts.
Even when it scares you.
Even when you think
you might lose.
It doesn’t matter
whether you win or lose.
It doesn’t matter
if others laugh at you.
Because it is better
to try and lose
than to sit back
and judge the person
who dared to try.
It is okay
to cry after trying
than to feel hollow
after watching someone else
take the chance
you were too afraid to take.
Because after trying,
you can look at yourself
and say,
“I did my best.”
Maybe others will know.
Maybe they won’t.
Maybe they will understand
how difficult that first step was.
Maybe they never will.
But you will know.
You will know
that you tried.
And there is something
no one else can do for you.
They can clap for you.
They can praise you.
They can judge you.
They can laugh at you.
But they cannot take
that first step for you.
Only you can.
So whether you win,
whether you lose,
whether they clap,
whether they laugh,
whether anyone knows your name
or no one does —
take the step.
Leave the audience.
Walk onto your stage.
And try.
Because perhaps
the greatest victory
is not winning at all.
Perhaps it is looking back
at the person you once were
and knowing
that you did not let fear
choose your life for you.
You tried.
And that is something
no one
can ever take away from you.
TRY.
