The Nike slogan ‘Just Do It’ is not only an example of great marketing but also an example of actually rather sound advice coming from an unlikely source. And it’s certainly advice that a lot of us could do with taking on board.
The thing is, when you want something good to happen, the single most important thing to do is to start working towards that goal… immediately. As long as you’re trying to succeed, then you’ll be increasing your chances of success more than if you don’t do anything. At the same time, even if you approach your aims in the wrong way, trying is at least going to help you learn and grow so that you become more effective over time.
The Perfect Moment Never Comes
You might not be aware of it but you are probably putting off something right now that really you should be doing if you want to get the most out of life.
An example might be getting into shape. I have a friend who is constantly telling me he wants to start working out and getting bigger but the one thing he never seems to do is actually work out. He says the reason for this is that he ‘first needs to build his core’ or that he first needs to ‘get a good gym membership’. Sometimes he tells me he’s waiting for the right training program, or that he needs ‘work to quieten down a bit’.
The problem is that he always thinks that the perfect opportunity to start getting into shape is just around the corner. Of course he does: that’s human nature.
In reality though, if he really wanted to get into shape then he would start right away. Even if he just did ten press ups a night that would be better than nothing – at least he would be taking action.
Likewise, if you’re putting off proposing to your partner because you’re waiting for the right opportunity, or if you’re waiting to leave your job, then you’ll find you just wait forever. There is always ‘something’ that makes doing what you want to do difficult. The difference between the people who are successful and the ones who stay twiddling their thumbs forever is that the successful people bite the bullet and they just go for it when it comes to doing those things that will make them happiest.