Just Do it!

These words from the Nike campaign of the 90’s say it all. The phrase was coined at a meeting when someone commented on Nikes can do attitude “You Nike guys, you just do it!” and the rest, as they say is history.

There is a lot to be said for using these words as a philosophy in motivating people into action in moving forward. Often clients use these 3 little words as a mantra or affirmation to help them focus on the job in hand. It is like an instruction for your brain to quit the procrastinating and get on with it. Sometimes to wait and weigh up all the consequences and plan in detail an action, can leave us in a situation where we can talk ourselves out of doing that action.

The underlying philosophy of a ‘Just do it’ attitude is self responsibility. Self responsibility means gaining control of your life by recognising you are responsible for your choices and actions. By not adopting self responsibility we become dependants or followers, turning control of our lives and actions to others. Self responsibility means having a proactive mindset where you go out and actively make things happen. Unfortunately there is a large majority of people who have the opposite mindset whereby they wait for things to happen to them, or for someone else to do it for them. They act passively to life. A good indicator of where you stand is to reflect on your actions should you see an accident. Do you rush over immediately to see if all is ok? Or do you stand by and watch, doing nothing? Those who take responsibility for their lives ‘Just do it!’ whilst those who lack responsibility just sit on the side lines expecting someone else to do it or something else to happen. So if you have a list of things the length of your arm that you want to do, or you’re having difficulty getting motivated about those goals you’ve set yourself, then cut the procrastinating and get on with it. Take control of your life, adopt a proactive approach to work and home using your mental energy in a more positive way. So next time you see the Nike tick use it as a reminder of a philosophy that can work for you… and Just do it!!