GO DO IT NOW

In 1988 NIKE cornered the market with the no excuse trade mark phrase to getting things done – “JUST DO IT”. In other words don’t think about it, don’t analyze it, and don’t process your feelings. Don’t whine or complain about it. “JUST DO IT”.

“JUST DO IT” Would appear to be an apt phrase for those of us “solopreneurs” and entrepreneurs looking for an encouraging guiding mantra to use while managing the ups and downs that come with setting up and establishing your own business. However, perhaps, a more powerful phrase for those of us struggling with “entrepreneuritis“(feeling immobilized and stuck), could be – GO DO IT NOW.

There comes a time when movement is required, a time when you stop all the analysis and reflection recognizing that it has now become another form of procrastination. You have to take what you have and use it to propel you forward. You must move.

One of the more dysfunctional elements of the human personality can be the propensity to over analyze and over think a problem so that a decision or action is never taken. We stay in the mode of information gathering, brain storming, research, product tweaking, rather than shifting to information implementation. In essence we get stuck in looking at the bigger picture or the far reaching vision without developing an action plan of implementation.

Some of us find solace in clinging to the role of the perpetual student. Where we focus on more learning, more courses, more training. It’s easily done in today’s rapidly moving computer technological world filled with ever changing social media and marketing shifts that occur almost daily. One can often feel overwhelmed with the continued demand to keep up with new knowledge, new learning and new skills.

The paradigm shift comes from letting go of the role of student, moving from the apprentice gather of knowledge persona, to that of a graduate who is both learning and doing at the same time. We switch from I don’t know and I must learn everything, to I know a little something, I can pick up what I need as I go along the way. In essence we learn and do at the same time.

“Entrepreneuritis” (feeling immobilized and stuck) is often fear in disguise. Fear of failure, fear of making a mistake or just plain fear. According to Melanie Pinola in the Done Manifesto,“Failure counts as done so make mistakes.” http://lifehacker.com/5864004/the-done-manifesto-lays-out-13-ground-rule...
Mistakes are powerful lessons that teach us what not to do. We learn what is not working which, if we use this knowledge, is important and invaluable information.

Susan Jeffers in her seminal book Feel the Fear and Do it Anyway talks about acknowledging the fear pushing past it and doing that which we fear as it l does wonders for our self esteem. In other words “JUST DO IT.”

While it’s important to have a vision to guide us and provide us with an overall sense as to what we want to do and where we need to go, the next step in developing and working with that vision, is to break it down into small, actionable, doable steps and take action now and “JUSTDO IT.” Successful Entrepreneurs understand that in the end all we really have to do is to keep taking the next step. So I will repeat those simple but splendid words “JUST DO IT – GO DO IT NOW.”