“Just Do It” Is More Than A Slogan — It Is The Secret To Success

How I achieved most of my goals with the “just do it” attitude

How often do you find yourself always in the preparation stage before going into a new project, a new job, or a new relationship? I believed most of us had experienced this overthinking and over-preparing phase. Apart from being wary of the unknown, it could be because internally, we can’t get the affirmative for the new self-identity.

We commonly believe that our mindsets determine our behaviours, but it is also true that our actions could also influence our mindsets, contribute to strengthening our self-identity. Psychologist Daryl Bem’s self-perception theory suggested that when individuals’ internal cues on their self-identity are weak, their behaviours could enhance their self-affirmation.

In other words, Bem’s theory suggested that an individual could come to “know” themselves through purposeful actions. For example, if you want to become a “friendly person” but failed to find such self-affirmation internally, you could act friendly — smile and greet every person you meet, ask your colleagues about their weekend on Monday, or wave to your neighbours every time you jog past their yards. Be aware of these actions and observe yourself as an outside observer could provide external cues to enhance internal affirmation.

Self-Perception Theory & Just-Do-It Attitude

It was hard to believe that the slogan “Just Do It” was inspired by a murderer. But just like Dan Wieden, the head of the advertisement agency, who come up with the slogan, I find the “do it” part intriguing.

Upon stumbled on and learned about Bem’s self-perception theory, I find both — the theory and the tagline — hold the key to success. Like the “just do it” tagline, Bem’s theory was also about “action”. Action speaks louder and leads one to experience a self-fulfilling prophecy — the more we act, the higher chance we could become the person we want to become.

Then, I realised that I have always been at the preparation stage and never take action. I set goals for my career and education, but I always believe that I am not well-prepared to start.

“Just. Do. It!” One day, I heard myself saying this aloud in my head. It was about the right time when I was offered an opportunity to own a business by my ex-colleague. If I hesitated, I would have lost this chance forever. The “just-do-it” attitude kicked in, and I grab the opportunity instantly.

Ten years passed, and the business has grown and provided sustainable income to achieve other goals such as owning a property. In these 10 years, I have used the “just do it” attitude to achieve other goals, such as writing my first ebook and getting my Master’s degree in education.

Just-Do-It Attitude Versus Reckless Rampage

Unlike reckless rampage, I do not act on an opportunity if I have no chance to win. I grab the business opportunity because I have about two years of experience in the industry. Besides that, my educational background gave me confidence that I have the ability to learn along the way.

Although action, according to Bem, provides external cues that enhance an individual’s internal affirmation of identity, it requires one to have at least a basic identity structure. Bem wrote, “internal identifications that we have not been taught remain internal identifications that we cannot make.” This statement illustrated that one must know what to do externally to enhance the internal self-identity. If one is aspired to become a writer, he must know what a writer’s task constitutes. Otherwise, he will act in non-writer behaviours that will never enhance his self-identity as a writer.

To know how to act prevent me from “just do it” recklessly. Contrary to the blinded act, I learned what I needed to do to succeed before committing to the just-do-it attitude. For instance, before I enrol on a Master’s degree program, I listed the actions related to study. I create a student identity in my mind and know what a student would do for study. Then, I commit myself to the actions that further enhance my identity as a student.

To Ignite The Just-Do-It Flame

The spirit or attitude of just-do-it could propel you to turn actions into valuable outcomes for goal-striving. Here is how I have stopped myself from over-preparing and use the just-do-it attitude to achieve many of my goals.

Know what to do, not what you need

List the actions related to your goal, and then focus on doing them. For instance, if your goal is to own a successful business, think what an already successful entrepreneur would do if he were in your shoes. This brings you into focusing on actionable tasks. On the other hand, if you focus on what you will need for goal-striving, you will always be in the preparing mode.

I am not saying that you don’t have to prepare. I am saying you don’t have to over-prepare yourself. No preparation is ever enough. Just. Do. It. Now!

“All things are ready, if our mind be so.”― William Shakespeare, Henry V

Get ready to leave the comfort zone and stretch yourself

To achieve a goal, we need to go beyond our comfort zone and stretch ourselves. For instance, to get into the identity of a business owner, I have to act like one, which required me to learn new skills like reading a profit and loss spreadsheet or planning for marketing events to expand my business.

Leaving your comfort zone could be dreadful, but it is worth the effort because you will grow and be one step closer to your goal. Just. Do. It. Now!

Endure the marshmallow’s temptation

Walter Mischel’s famous study on delayed gratification warned us that those who endured the marshmallow’s temptation are those who get a bigger reward in the end.

I find myself desperate for outcomes once I did something, which later I realised caused anxiety. Then, I employed the tactics preschoolers in Mischel’s study used to endure the temptation to eat the marshmallow right away. I distract myself from getting the reward right away and focus on other actions that I could do. For instance, after I sent the article to a publisher and waiting to be published, I do not keep refreshing the page to see the result if I get published. Instead, I read 3 articles written by others, comment on each one, and find the idea for the next piece.

Getting published is gratifying, but if I focus on “getting published”, I lose focus on the more important part of the action — writing. Writing is an essential part of being a writer. Without writing, there won’t be anything to publish, then the self-identity of a writer will disappear.

Conclusion

Being successful is our ultimate goal, and we must take the necessary actions to achieve what we aspired for. The just-do-it attitude allowed me to put “action” in front of other things and prevent me from getting into the trap of over-preparing.

The just-do-it attitude is not a reckless rampage. It requires one to know what actions would lead to success and focus on there. Getting out of my comfort zone ignited the just-do-it spirit, turning me into a rolling wheel that keeps moving ahead. Delayed gratification is what made the just-do-it attitude powerful, as it keeps us focusing on the actions on the path to success.

Just do it now, and you will reap what you sow one day.