Overheard a dad at the park telling his kid 'good try' instead of 'good job'

I was sitting on a bench watching my nephew play soccer on Saturday, and this dad yelled to his son after he missed a goal, just saying 'good try.' It hit me how different that is from always saying 'good job.' Like, he was praising the effort, not the outcome. That little phrase change has me rethinking how I talk to myself about small wins at work. Has anyone else noticed a shift when you focus on trying instead of winning?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_wren18d ago

Hmm, but even "good try" still judges the outcome, no?

carter.laura18d ago

Honestly feels like people overanalyze this stuff sometimes. You say "good try" and suddenly someone's writing a whole thesis about how you're secretly judging their failure. Not everything needs to be a perfect phrase from a parenting book. Kids are resilient, they pick up on tone way more than the exact words. If you're supportive and smiling when you say it, they get the message just fine. We're acting like one wrong compliment is gonna scar them for life or something.

grantmartinez18d ago

Wait, isn't "good try" still focused on the result though? I read this book about growth mindset where they said the real trick is to praise specific actions like "you really stuck with that" or "you adjusted your aim there." It's a fine line but the better phrase gives them something to hold onto.