Five Reasons Why We Should “Just Do It”

In case you didn’t already know this, today is National “Just Do It” Day. Most of us recognize that wording as Nike’s trademark catch-phrase, but it is also directly applicable to each of our own lives. This is because so often in life, we really do need to get past our fears and just go after it. Whatever “it” is will vary for each one of us, but that doesn’t matter in this context. What matters is that we first identify those things and that we pursue them. Does that thought scare you? Because it sure scares me. But facing your fears is actually healthy. Therefore, I will be going over five reasons why it is important that we “just do it”.

The Time is Now to Make It Happen

1. If we don’t do it now, it’s possible we never will.

Sometimes later actually becomes never. As humans, we often feel like we have so much time left and there is no need to experience any sense of urgency. And at times, we do have plenty of time. But other times, we don’t. If 2020 taught us anything, it’s that tomorrow isn’t promised. Life won’t always be just as we’ve always known it. Because at random times, everything we hold dear in this world gets shifted sideways in a matter of moments. Perhaps we can afford to wait until someday. That we will never know. But what if we can’t? Sometimes in life, it really is now or never. Once it’s all over, it’s impossible to go back.

2. We can’t simply wait for fate to make something happen.

Don’t wait for fate. We make our own destiny. However, that destiny is driven by our decisions, by all those choices we make, every single day. Most of us already know that actions have consequences, sometimes with far-reaching effects we didn’t anticipate. Something people don’t think about as often is that inactions can create just as strong of consequences. That feeling of being “stuck” in something in our lives is just that, a feeling.

We are never truly stuck in a circumstance, only in an attitude.

So why wait? Now is the time to get “unstuck” and to make it happen.

3. If we don’t take a chance, sometimes it becomes too late.

You can actually wait too long to go after something and eventually find out it is too late, that the opportunity has passed. Hiding from those things we don’t want to confront won’t help. As Sarah Dessen said, “Anyone can hide. Facing up to things, working through them, that’s what makes you strong.” Taking chances catapults us into the potential for real change to occur. It’s the reality of the phrase “blink and you miss it.” Sometimes it can be too late and there isn’t always a second chance.

4. It’s better to try and fail than to not try and never know.  

The sting of regret over what “might have been” is perhaps one of the very worst feelings. Robert H. Schuller said, “I’d rather attempt to do something great and fail than to attempt to do nothing and succeed.” I totally agree. Of course, I’ve also had plenty of things I wished I had dared to try but didn’t. We all do. For me, sometimes I draw on that feeling of regret in order to give me the courage to try the next time a similar situation rolls around. Some research suggests that those areas of our lives that present the biggest regrets also provide the greatest opportunities to correct them. We can’t go back and fix these regrets, but we can face up to them and even learn from them as we move forward.

5. Rejection won’t actually kill us.

Take a deep breath or a sip of some calming chamomile tea before you process this one. When we go after what we really want, we will face the possibility of rejection. Even worse, at times we will experience getting rejected. See how I said “will”? This is because everyone gets rejected at various points in their lives. Although it may feel like dying a little bit inside when that rejection inevitably occurs, rest assured it can’t actually kill you.

As the well-known adage goes, “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.” Cliché, right? But let’s think about this differently. It really does make you stronger. As an example, let’s say I want to be a writer. I apply for every writing job I can find online that interests me. Then wave after wave of rejection notices, those dreaded “thank you, but no thank you” notes come pouring in. Ouch, how crushing.

Sure, it would be incredibly easy to crumple under the weight of those waves and simply give up. But what if I were to give up just before that one job offer came in that ended up being a job I loved and ended up working at for the rest of my career? Would all those initial rejections matter anymore by that time? Of course not. Would it be far worse to miss out getting to experience the very job I was so diligently searching for? Absolutely, it would be. This is why it is so important to never give up.

What Are You Waiting For?

As you can see, there are real reasons to go after those things in your life you are searching for. I’ve tried to live by that mantra in recent years and I don’t regret it. Even from those times that I fell flat on my face (which were many), I learned important things to carry forward from the experience and apply to my future adventures. Every step we take, no matter how large or how small, genuinely matters. Every chance is an opportunity for something to go right.

Sometimes all it takes in life is one yes, getting that one thing we have been working toward, meeting that one special person we have been looking for, taking a chance opportunity that appears out of nowhere. Those “yes” moments will look different for each of us. It’s about finding whatever it is that we are each searching for.

Because that one yes can make the sea of no’s disappear in an instant.

This is why today, on National “Just Do It” Day, I am asking you to join me in casting off our endless fears and insecurities, believing in the strength we hold within ourselves, and going after all the things in this life that we truly want. I know you can do it. I know I can do it. I know we all can do it. So why not “Just Do It”?

Questions, comments, or just need to chat? Send me a direct message via LinkedIn, Facebook, or Instagram.

Cheers until next time,

Crystal