Day 23: Just Do It
This video was myself and Cat's favorite video to laugh at imaging it was a parent to a child during the harder times. Yet the more I have watched it and laughed at it, the more it has become real to me. Spoof or no, it is in fact motivational in the best way.
He says exactly what you need to hear. JUST. DO. IT.
That dream you have? Just do it.
That conversation you want to have? Just do it.
That idea for a company or product? Just do it.
That book you want to publish? Just do it.
The shit you KNOW you need to do to change your life? JUST DO IT.
See, the problem with so many of us is that we come up with excuse after excuse as to why it isn't smart, or feasible, or realistic. Truth is: 90% of the time...it's bullshit.
I've talked before about how fear will just take over the direction of your life if you don't actively fight it. How our brains are programed to seek in-the-moment ease and are NOT "future" machines. (Our mind is different) Our brains want us to have the least in the moment hardship as possible. Which means never doing more than you absolutely must.
Have you ever wondered why you want to sit on the couch for 6 hrs watching re-runs of Ghost Adventures? How whole days go by and you don't seem to accomplish anything? That was my story at points. Heck, that way my story a week ago (yes, old habits die hard).
I blamed my health.
My fibromyalgia.
My exhaustion.
My frustrations.
My schedule (which, by the way, I had control of if we want to be totally honest here).
My kids.
My pain levels.
And do you know what all of that was 90% of the time?
Bullshit Excuses.
And every time I gave into it, I proved to myself how weak and unable-to-follow-through-on-life I was. Every time I didn't do what I knew I needed to or what my dreams ached to do, I was telling myself I wasn't worth it and wasn't capable of doing life.
Oh, the excuses may have been grounded in reality. Yes I am in pain. But that doesn't need to stop me from editing photos. Or reading books to the kids. Or sitting and playing with playdough. Or writing. Or even a lot of general housework. And before you say "you have no idea what it's like to be in real pain" let me clarify: I had herniated disks on top of fibro that were so bad I had to sleep in the recliner and cried out when I sneezed. I was on 100mg of tramadol 3x a day, plus etodolac (think 1000mg of ibuprophen), plus Lyrica. Oh and muscle relaxers. And that barely made me functional. But no way was I starting a serious narcotic habit, prescribed or not.
You know what made it worse? Giving in to the utter helplessness and pain. I gave the pain the reins and rather than learning to work around it, or lessen it, I lamented it and alternated between giving up and trying to force my body to do everything a "normal" body would. I was an idiot.
I still have pain, but believe it or not, working out everyday has lessened it. Deciding I am not a victim lessened it. Having no prescription for 5 months of real pain relief made me learn to live with it and still engage in good and physical ways. I also learned that once I stopped fearing the pain, it had significantly less impact on me. And amazingly, if I simply DO the things, I am fine 95% of the time. (I still over push a wee bit occasionally)
Does this mean I don't honor my body? NO! I 10000% listen to my body and if it needs a lay down day, that is what it gets. But it goes off NEED not fear or anticipation anymore. It has no excuses.
So how does recounting of my self imposed limitations and non-action apply to you?
Well, it serves as an example. Your excuses may be as varied as snowflakes from each other. For one of you it may be physical. For another depression and anxiety (Yup have that too. Know what the just do it was for that? Getting help! Therapy and meds in my case! JUST DO IT!). For another it is financial hardship (been there too). Lack of support. Lack of education. Fear of rejection. Fear of success. Fear of judgement.
And of course, the ever popular: you have no idea if you will fail and that very idea is abhorrent.
Or a miriad of other things.
Here's the deal. Failure rarely matters. Not when it comes to trying to better your life. Obviously if you quit the crappy job WITHOUT first securing a new one or at least knowing you can replace it quickly... you could end up damaging your life. However if you STAY at that crappy job you hate, it will suck the life out of you and end up damaging your life. SO JUST DO IT. But do it SMARTLY.
Taking chances on creative ventures? JUST DO IT. Flat out.
Stop just talking or dreaming about it and get to work.
Stop lamenting the laundry and fold it.
Stop focusing on your physical limitations and do a leg lift already.
STOP MAKING EXCUSES!
Why? Why do I feel so strongly about you stopping the excuse cycle?
Because YOU, my friend, are amazing. You have gifts for this world that you may not even know yet. You are worthy. You deserve a life full and rich and satisfying to your soul. You are so capable of pursing your dreams. And those dreams can change the world. You are an overcomer, which means that you will be an inspiration to others around you. And the sparks you set off in others will eventually lead to world changing on grand scales. You have no idea who you will inspire and who in turn they will inspire. The world has been rocked by overcomers. People who have changed history, who have built empires, who have left legacies that are going to last generations. Each of them had people change THEM and inspire THEM. I don't know which of these two people you will be; the grand world changer or the one changing those world changers. But either way, your ability to impact and shape this world is limitless.
So get out your notebook, write out your audacious desires and your basic responsibilities and then...
JUST DO IT!
And hey, if your kids are refusing to put on their shoes and you are about to loose your mind, play that video up there again in your head and laugh before you start yelling. It helps, I promise.
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