Just do it

“DOEN. DIT. NET”, my mom always used to say in her “Never ask twice” voice on a Sunday evening, when she discovered my unpolished school shoes under my bed, right where I kicked them off my feet after school on Friday – ugh, how my sisters and I hated that Kiwi polish ritual…

“DOEN. DIT. NET”, my grandma often barked at Falconetti, one of her six turkeys.  They were her pride and joy, but for some reason it was always Falconetti who preferred to make a mess on her porch floor.  When I close my eyes, I can almost hear granny`s infamous one-liner that used to give us so much pleasure: “Die blêrrie kalkoen het al weer op die stoep gesk%t!”

Grandma and I, we had this pact and ritual – I always repeated the sentence boldly after her, then mom would lean through the kitchen window yelling, “Hey, moenie so vloek nie”. Then grandma would always wink at me while I whispered softly: “Ja Ouma, die blerrie kalkoen het al weer op die stoep gesk%t…”

“DOEN DIT NET”, my two kids encouraged me the first time I undertook the high jump from the wooden bridge into the dam at Tolderia, as though it was the most natural thing to do.  Just doing it.

…Did you know that Nike`s iconic “Just Do It” slogan was inspired by the final words of a notorious killer in 1970?  Facing down a firing squad in his last moments, double-murderer Gary Gilmore said: “Let`s do it.”  Dan Wieden, the founder of ad agency Wieden and Kennedy was inspired to adapt the phrase to “Just do it” for a 1988 Nike TV ad, and the rest is history.

Nike has indeed become one of the world`s highest profile athletic brands.  Why? According to Denise Lee Yohn`s book “What great brands do”, the magic lies in inspiring a positive feel in the customer…

For example, one of the very first television spots of the Nike campaign featured a video of 80-year-old marathoner Walt Stack who explains to viewers how he runs 17 miles every morning. Stories like Walt’s evoke an immediate emotional response in viewers and lead them to ask, “if these athletes can do it, why can’t I?”

A lot of successful people epitomize the ‘Just Do It’ mindset. Richard Branson wrote a book titled “Screw it, let’s do it” and famously once said: “If someone offers you an amazing opportunity, but you’re not sure you can do it; say ‘Yes’ then learn how to do it later.”

Last week our 12-week Winter Challenge kicked off – one member is doing it for the 18^th time, while 26 participants are doing it for the first time.  Yes, we are all indeed again just doing it, just like Nike`s old catchphrase.  We had an amazing first week, with before photos and goal setting, signing in for class and undertaking the Challenge of building paper cup pyramids in plank position.

The most amazing thing for me is to witness that we are reaching a point where regular participants just keep on improving, bettering themselves, working on their stats and their performances, even during those off-weeks when we`re not busy with a Challenge.  Just doing what they are doing.  

Just coming to the studio even when they can find 27 reasons not to.  Just eating well while their minds are telling them NOT to.  Just doing it, not listening to their emotions and thoughts.  Have you ever thought about this?  Realizing that you and I, we are not really our thoughts.  We are the ones observing our thoughts.  The thoughts are just things that move through our minds.

I am not saying our thoughts are worthless.  But sometimes – and you can often tell when – they are holding us back.  And then, when we are less wrapped up in them it becomes easier to act in spite of what they are suggesting we should do.

And the fun thing about this is that it`s kind of liberating – realizing that you don`t have to act in accordance with your loops or emotions.  You can just move and go do what you are supposed to do.

There is a well-known book by Mel Robbins called “The five second rule.”  Basically, all it comes down to is counting back from 5 to 1 and then just doing it.  We can apply this to everything, from polishing our shoes, getting up in the morning, going to the gym, jumping from a wooden bridge, and even taking out the trash.

“Start, and the pressure will be off”, says the New York best-selling author Marianne Williamson.  We all know this feeling of pushing things aside.  The flipside is that if we don`t start, we always think about it.  The pressure is always on.

That is why Nike’s ‘Just Do It’ is so powerful. It encourages us not to worry so much about how we’ll take every step to get there or what exactly each step will be. Just to do it. To take one small step, whatever step you can take right now, in the direction you want to go. And when you’ve done it, claim your win.

Do it again tomorrow, and claim your win again.

The “Just do it list” is one thing – but, what’s on your ‘Just Do It Later’ list? Get rid of it! Chuck it out, and just start doing it!  Or before you know it, today’s ‘Just Do It Later’ will become tomorrow’s ‘Never Did It’. Don’t worry about whether you have experience, whether you know what you’re doing and certainly don’t worry about whether you’re ready or not – you’ll learn everything you need along the way.

…When, or should I say if, I am an old grandma one day I want to look back at my life and see that I have at least always tried.  I want to say that I have at least always started, instead of not doing it because of so many reasons that got in the way.

I guess in the end it all comes down to just doing it, but not only that, it really comes down to starting.  “Wanting change is step one, but step two is taking it”, writes Isaac Marion in his novel “Warm bodies.”

British actor, Hugh Laurie sums it up perfectly: “It’s a terrible thing, I think, in life to wait until you’re ready.  I have this feeling now that actually no one is ever ready to do anything.  There is almost no such thing as ready.  There is only now.  And you may as well do it now.  For now, is as good a time as any.”

In other words?  Just Do It!  Because, if others can, why can`t you and I?

DOEN. DIT. NET.

Yours in fitness

Mirna

082 779 0507