Just Do It.

“Just Do It” is the aspirational and inspirational slogan of the American show company Nike. The tagline was coined by Dan Wieden, one of the founders of the Wieden+Kennedy ad agency. In 1977, he followed the murder case of Gary Gilmore, who was executed by firing squad. Wieden was brainstorming for a tagline for a new series of Nike commercials, and he remembered Gilmore’s last word, “Let’s do it.” He changed it to “Just Do It,” and the rest, they say, is history.

You don’t have to be great to start but you have to start to be great.

The hardest part of doing almost anything is the start. Staying consistent is one of the hardest things for most of us on our path to achieving any goal. Whether it is going to the gym, reading a book, meditating, researching an assignment, running, writing or executing most goals, staying consistent and gaining momentum is the key. The key to starting is starting, that might seem simplistic, but it is the secret to finishing any activity. As hockey Hall of Famer Wayne Gretzky once quipped: “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.”

One of the activities that I have stayed consistent over the past two years has been my exercise regimen. Last month, I averaged 108 hours of time spent working out through the following – running, basketball, swimming, pickleball, outdoor cycling and weight lifting. One of the strategies that have enabled me to stay consistent is the mantra “Just Do I.” I just lace up my shoe and run, show up in the gym daily and work out. It is a way of life now and I don’t even second guess my need to exercise, I just exercise. Somedays I don’t want to go to the gym but I do go anyways. As John Wooden famously said, “80 percent of success is showing up”.

Just Do It ¹

We hear it almost every day; sigh, sigh, sigh.

I just can’t get myself motivated to… (lose weight, test my blood sugar, etc.) And we hear an equal number of sighs from diabetes educators who can’t get their patients motivated to do the right things for their diabetes and health.

We have news for you. Motivation is not going to strike you like lightning. And motivation is not something that someone else—nurse, doctor, family member—can bestow or force on you. The whole idea of motivation is a trap. Forget motivation. Just do it.

Exercise, lose weight, test your blood sugar, or whatever. Do it without motivation and then guess what. After you start doing the thing, that’s when the motivation comes and makes it easy for you to keep on doing it.

Motivation is like love and happiness. It’s a by-product. When you’re actively engaged in doing something, it sneaks up and zaps you when you least expect it.

“You’re more likely to act yourself into feeling than feel yourself into action.” – Jerome Bruner

When you are unaware that you shouldn’t be able to do something, then you just do it. 2

“When my parents told me I couldn’t be a rapper because there were no careers in hip-hop, it didn’t deter me, because I knew parents just don’t understand. When television producers asked me if I could act, I said, “Of course,” even though I had never acted a day in my life—I thought, How hard can it be? When movie studios said they couldn’t cast me because African American leads don’t sell to international audiences, I wasn’t necessarily offended, I just couldn’t understand how a motherfucker that wrong could have this job. It wasn’t just the racism that bothered me, it was the stupidity. People would tell me how I was supposed to be, and it just didn’t make any sense. I felt like their rules didn’t apply to me.

“Living in your own little world with your own rules can be an advantage sometimes, but you have to be careful. You can’t get too detached from reality. Because there are consequences.”

American insurance executive Art Williams delivered an inspiring speech titled “Just Do It” ³ at the 1987 National Religious Broadcaster Convention.

See folks, I want you to know almost everybody in America almost does enough to win. They almost get there. They almost are over the hump. They almost have it going. They almost, in everything they do, almost is a way of life to almost everybody in America. But the winners do it.

What do they do? They do whatever it takes to get the job done. They do it, and do it, and do it, and do it, and do it, until the job gets done. And then they talk about how great it is to be somebody they’re proud of.

We need leaders in America who can do it. If you want to become somebody, do it. If you want to go in business for yourself, do it. If you want to become financially independent, do it.

I hear too much talk in these United States, everybody can talk a good game. We need people in America, who can do it. I go all over this country … and I have people say, “Art, you can count on me.” Wonderful. Just do it.

“Art, I guarantee this is my last stop. I’m going to win now.” Super duper. Just do it.

“Art, if I could just have one good month and get the ball going I know I could make it big.” Super. Just do it.

“Art, if I could just pay off this debt I could really go.” Great. Just do it.

“Art, if I could just sell my house.” Do it. “But houses ain’t selling?” Do it anyway.

“Art, I’m not making any money. What can I do?” You just do it. “Do what Art?” You do it, and do it, and do it.

“Art, I guarantee I’m going to win this contest.” Super duper. Just do it.

“Art, I’m over the hump now, watch my smoke.” Great. Just do it.

“Art, I want to make it so bad I can taste it. What do I do?” You just do it.

“Art, I’m a Vice President now, can I quit doing it?” Nope. “Art, I don’t know if I can keep on keeping on. I’m really hurting. What do I do?” You just do it. “Do what Art?” You do it, and do it, and do it.

“Art, all my life I wanted to be somebody important.” Well do it then.

“Art, I’m going to save money so I don’t have to go through this again.” Great. Just do it.

“Art, I don’t feel like I’ve had enough training. What do I do?” You just do it.

“Art, my manager don’t give me no help. What do I do?” You just do it. “Art, you don’t understand. I was Mr. Everything at my former company. You don’t mean I have to start off down here at the bottom and do it, do you?” Yep. You really got to do it.

“Art, what’s the primary difference between winners and losers?” The winners do it.

They do it, and do it, and do it, and do it, until the job gets done. And then they talk about how great it is to have finally have achieved something you need. And how glad they are that they didn’t quit like everybody else. And how wonderful it is to finally be somebody they’re proud of. And make a difference with their life.

Almost everybody in America almost does enough to win. They almost get there. They almost are over the hump. They almost have it going. They almost, in everything they do, almost is a way of life to almost everybody in America. But the winners do it

Meditation

Daily Calm with Tamara Levitt – Control
There are few things in life over which we have control, even when we think a situation is within our grip; they are many factors beyond our reach. At work, we are dependent on co-workers and supervisors, in our personal lives, partners and friends are motivated by their own feelings and interest. Our livelihood is at the whim of the economy; our health is at the universe’s mercy.
To come to terms with our lack of control, we must realize that control is, in fact, an illusion. We think control will bring us peace of mind, but only by accepting our lack of control do we find peace once we embrace the vast merch of interdependence that shapes our reality. It is easier to thrive in life’s natural push and pull.
Instead of trying to manipulate things you can’t change, work with what you can influence. Paddle as best as possible but stay open to wherever the wind and tide may take you.

If you want real control, drop the illusion of control; let life have you. It does anyway. You’re just telling yourself the story of how it doesn’t. – Byron Katie

Daily Jay with Jay Shetty – The Benefits of Boredom
Boredom can actually boost your creativity.
Boredom has traditionally been associated with a range of negative outcomes, both within the workplace and outside it. More recently, however, it has been suggested that boredom can have positive outcomes, one of which might be increased creativity. This study addressed this proposition by examining the relationship between boredom and creative potential on a range of tasks. Two studies were carried out; the first involved 80 participants taking part in either a boring writing activity or not (control group) followed by a creative task. The second study involved a further 90 participants who varied in the type of boring activity they undertook (either a boring written activity, a boring reading activity or control) and the type of creative task that followed. Results suggested that boring activities resulted in increased creativity and that boring reading activities lead to more creativity in some circumstances (such as convergent tasks) than boring written activities. The role of daydreaming as a mediator between boredom and creativity is discussed and implications are outlined. (Does being bored make us more creative? Sandi Mann and Rebekah Cadman University of Central Lancashire)

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