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Just Do It!

Posted by Glenn Mills on Jan 11, 2012 06:49AM (0 views)

One of the most-quoted sayings in the world is a marketing campaign by Nike... Just Do It!  What sheer genius in the simplicity, and the ability to bring in every sport, every culture, every ability in one simple, three-word phrase.  The question for us is:  What.... is... "it"?

For such a simple word... IT is all encompassing.  IT is everything we talked about in the recent article Commit.  No sense in rehashing it here.  You either understand what IT is, or you don't.  If you don't understand IT, can you learn how to understand IT?

While I don't know if understanding IT is something you're either born with, or not, I do know that there are plenty of people who weren't born with the understanding of IT, and who learned IT by, well... Just Doing IT!

IT is doing everything you can do to become better at what you want to do.  IT is just that simple.  IT typically isn't glamorous while you're going through IT.   IT is rough, sad, sore, tired, frustrated, lonely, and questioning whether the effort is worth IT.

I looked for a while for just the right video to sum up my feelings about IT, and I found the following.  The narrator's words are very good.  While I'm not a big fan of body building, I AM a big fan of ANYONE who commits to IT, in whatever they do, and these guys have commited to IT.  I've posted on Facebook about my appreciation of musicians like Steve Vai, philanthropists like Al Weatherhead, visionairies like Steve Jobs.  So my love of the search to be the best at whatever you do is evident.

IT is just that.  IT is a complete dedication to becoming your best.

Watch, listen, and think about how the words can apply to your life, and then... Just Do IT!




Responses

Responded Jan 11, 2012 04:25PM

I love these essays you write.
Thank you.

Responded Jan 11, 2012 07:00PM

" You must do the thing which you think you cannot do." -Eleanor Roosevelt

Sean Hutchinson recently posted this quote... it is a matter of one being able to, or having the capacity to learn to, change "cannot do" into "can do" isn't it?

Responded Jan 12, 2012 08:23AM

I like better this one http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7X38PCf7kao for the simple reason that I am a master in managing my time.

Responded Jan 12, 2012 02:21PM

Yeah... I just saw that one too. Great stuff.

Responded Jan 20, 2012 01:59PM

Hi Glenn! .. Wanna say something (having a background of a national level T&F + long distance athlete) .. In my own career as a runner I trained too much, it was so seductive to do more when I was in "improving time" mood. I was lacking the ability to be patient and take the amount of rest and relaxation that my body so urgently needed. Of course everybody wants success, fame and everybody wants to give a 100% for that to happen but the other part of that working your butt off is to give the body the so needed rest. And my experience was at a certain point in this focused mood I was not able to find the rest and relaxation anymore, how hard I tried or not tried. This being able to give the body the needed rest is a crucial part of the training.. .. .. hmmm .. just looking back into years.. Thanks a lot for inspiration!

Responded Jan 20, 2012 02:21PM

Hi Reemi. I wish what you wrote was completely correct, but I'm going to take issue on one small point. You said "everybody wants to give 100%". Unfortunately, that's not the case. If every athlete I worked with was like that, then the rest component is indeed required. What I tend to see is athletes who don't work to 100%, but still want the rest. Something doesn't compute in that calculation! ;)

Thanks for the post, and indeed... rest for workers is a necessary component.

Responded Jan 20, 2012 11:11PM

Thanks Glenn for responding! I am learning so much here. You're a coach and a teacher and through that you are working closely with kids mostly? Or are you training masters ages too? .. I actually meant with "everybody" myself, I thought simply when the passion for the sport is there then it is relatively easy to give yourself and feel every time after a great workout the rewards of satisfaction with getting stronger and faster. At least for me it was like that: I loved to train hard and give myself challenges and pushing myself over the limit again and again for 22 years long. ... So yes, "everybody" is "onebody" (Reemi) in my comment. I can only speak for myself. Thanks again for letting me write this!


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