Stop Overthinking And Just Do It

I'm a big fan of Nike's slogan. It's not the normal flowery mush that's  designed to appeal to your emotions; it's a call to action that borders on a dare and arouses primal instincts. That approach to marketing strikes a nerve. It's what has enabled Nike to become the largest sports brand in the world, and an ally of those striving to "just do it," whatever it may be.

Nike's slogan resonates with people because our reptilian brain has us wired for fear.  From an evolutionary perspective, fear played a major role in ensuring our survival as cavemen. We (at least most of us) are no longer cavemen; however, our brains still have this wiring intact and must be rewired to overcome it.

 

Lessons from Nike abound on achievement. The first of which is stop thinking so much about doing it, as this causes analysis paralysis, a major deterrent to achievement. The second is to just fucking do it - whatever it is - despite your fears. 

 

I've coached, counseled, educated, and mentored countless people for two decades and my observation has been that no one talks themselves into achievement. Every client, student, or mentee who started a company, became a high level executive, got a record deal, made a difference, or made their daddy proud, just did it while in motion, and without overthinking it.

Yes, they made mistakes and had their challenges, but they did it - often with no game plan, inadequate resources, and perhaps most importantly, no excuses. I applaud them, and I encourage you to just fucking do it also.