Just do it

Just do it. Nike’s famous slogan. Three words that were always emphasized as a good example of a powerful slogan during my marketing course. It gets you going, it makes you believe anything is possible. It’s something that applies to anyone and any situation. Some people I know would say these things as well after they finally took the leap into a venture they did not know the outcome of. Yet somewhere in their journey they felt it necessary to share with others that they too can just do it.

What do you mean just do it? Don’t you have to plan everything first and see whether it will work out?! I never understood people when they would advise others to ‘just do it’. To me it seemed like a foreign concept, because doing things without knowing what’s next, is such a no-go for me.

However, as I shared in a previous post, I’m not planning to sit still any longer; I want to be doing things now. This would require me to indeed just do it. But it always felt like there was some barrier between where I am now and me just doing it. After starting on something just recently, I finally just did it and it’s been working out so far. Funny enough, the thing I was dreading on the other side of just do it, I still haven’t encountered. 

My fear was that just doing it would not provide any structure for someone like me who always needs to see the full plan first. But I realized that you can start, and once you start, the remainder of the plan will start to unfold. If you never take that first step, you’ll never know about the possibilities that could follow. Initially it may feel like you have no idea what you’re doing or where to go next, but those hurdles on the way are opportunities for you to learn how to jump over them instead of standing still in front of them. It’s an adventure that requires you to be willing to learn and adjust when necessary. 

As I said, I love me some structure, but I realize that the more I learn, the more I can create a new structure that would fit my current situation. It’s all part of growth.

Many have said it before me, many will say it after me. But right now, I want to tell you that if you’ve had something on your mind for long that you’ve wanted to execute or just wanted to try out, then just do it. You will most likely not know exactly how it will go or where you’ll end up, but you will learn it along the way. This gives me something to hold on to.

We can’t stay in preparation mode forever, there comes a time where preparation has to turn into action. And it doesn’t have to be perfect, it just needs to get done. Just do it.