Do or do not there is no try | Ramblin' & Amblin' | Oct 30, 2026
Ramblin' & Amblin' Field Notes with Mike Hall (Staff Software Engineer)
Recorded on the move: engineering observations, systems architecture, and software craftsmanship reflections.
• Series Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLNtb969T2-l0
• The Sound Above Curriculum: https://www.just3ws.com/series/the-sound-above/
• Canonical Profile: https://www.just3ws.com
Spoken Overview:
"Do or do not, there is no try. True. That is the truth. In engineering, more than anything, there is no trying. I've heard people say, well, you know, gotta give them credit for trying. Nope. No, it's either you did the thing or you..."
Recorded: October 30, 2026
The Interviewer
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
Do or do not, there is no try. True. That is the truth. In
engineering, more than anything, there is no trying.
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
I've
heard people say, well, you know, gotta give them credit
for trying. Nope. No, it's either you did the thing or you
didn't. And half measures are not functional engineering.
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
So, there
is no try. There's only do. And that requires diligence. And sometimes just not doing something is actually better.
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
I've seen, uh, I don't mean lie about it either. I've seen
that. I've seen too many places, too many people focusing more on
intention than actually implementation. So they tried.
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
And
I think Yoda had a good point. Do or do not. There is no
try. And I do often wonder with characters like Yoda and the
very concept of the Force, um, how much Alan Watts and
Eastern philosophy really did influence the, uh, script
writing and the, uh, contributions to the original Star
Wars.
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
And just how much, uh, and just how much in America we don
't even realize how, uh, influenced we are by these concepts
. It's just kind of beautiful if you think about it. I, at
least when I think about it, it is, um, it makes me happy
to think about that, uh, even, uh, at 50, I can, uh, still
feel this. From something that, uh, one of my earliest memories is
with, uh, watching Star Wars was, was my sister and her
boyfriend at the time.
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
I was real little and we went and saw a double feature to
drive in and it was Flash Gordon in Star Wars. And, uh, I remember being in a big gravel lot with that
little, uh, well, that, the great big, uh, speaker that you
'd pull in and hang inside of your window. And, uh, and, uh, the, uh, I didn't know the word dichotomy
at this time, but the, uh, the imagination of, uh, of Flash
Gordon and this amazing Queen soundtrack. And then, uh, uh, the, uh, the amazing soundtrack for Star
Wars, but they wrote stories about adventure in the stars
and, uh, that, uh, you know, they've, they've become kind
of cliche now, but, uh, there's, there's a reason that they
, they resonated with so many people.
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
And I remember the period of time when I can start worse
was not cool, but yeah, do or do not, there is no try. Trying is part of doing, but it is not, it ends into itself
and it is not enough to say, oh, you know, I gave it a good
effort. She gave it the old college try. Ah, that's, that's, that's for, uh, you know, can you, can
you run a marathon and, and, and make it, I tried to, uh,
lift that heavy box.
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
I just couldn't, um, right. You didn't lift a box. That's okay. Uh, but, you know, trying didn't move the box.
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
It hasn't been moved. It's too heavy. That happens. But, uh, too much focus on the intent, the attempt.
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
But it doesn't, it doesn't pay the bills. It doesn't do it. You know, I'm not even getting into the road to hell paved
with good intentions, uh, there. Just, do or do not, there is no try.
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
Thanks, bye.