Just Name It.
Nike’s slogan, Just Do It, is brilliant. However, I believe it should be changed to Just Name it.
Before you can just do it, first you need to get clear on what it is that is worth doing in the first place. In my experience as a leadership coach, most of us don’t take the time to ask the really tough questions such as…
What’s something I’ve always wanted to do that I keep putting off?
What truly brings me joy?
How do I want to spend my time?
Where do I want to put my attention?
What’s something I want to learn more about?
Once you find clarity, I say Just Name It. Say it out loud. Put a stake in the ground. The more you say it, the more you’ll believe it. The more you believe it, the more you will accomplish.
When I decided to stop eating meat, I announced as often as I could “I am a vegetarian”. I named the behavior and the person I wanted to be. I told waiters (yes, I was THAT person), I told my friends, family, etc. I did this for months until one day, I didn’t need to say it anymore because it had truly become my new reality.
Looking back at some of the most rewarding things I have done in my life, many of them came about by my just naming it. I simply put it out there and just kept saying it until it became a reality.
About 5 months after my husband, David, was killed on September 11th, I came up with the idea of holding a fundraiser – a fun run on Father’s Day in his memory. That same day, with this idea just beginning to percolate in my head, I went to our local hardware store for some lightbulbs. As I was checking out, I named it. I told the owner that I was holding a fun run in Dave’s memory and that we were planning to have a raffle (I decided on the raffle idea in the split second I realized I was speaking with the owner).
Needless to say, moments later, I walked out of Harvey’s Hardware with my first donated raffle prize - a set of pots and pans. Having named it out loud, I had no choice but to be all in. I couldn’t very well go back and say ummmm… I changed my mind about that fun run thing :)
Once I Just Named It. I was able to Just Do It.
So, taking my own advice here I go (gulp)…
I am writing a blog.