Years ago, I pushed through some stuff and signed up for a grad school class. I remember sharing that story with some people. Another person told how she pushed through some issues on her part to get to one of her own goals. And then another, and another. I remember one person coming to the table to share her story about how she made a major move on the tail end of being very ill. According to her, she decided to “just do it”.

Can I tell you something? Outside of Ni.ke commercials, “Just Do It” used to irk the heck out of me. (OK, it got so bad that even IN the Ni.ke commercials, “Just Do It” bugged me. LOL)

Why? Because my lovelies, yours truly was definitely NOT a “Just Do It!” kinda chick. Uh uh. No way. Not me. Fuggetaboutit. Wasn’t gonna happen.

And then….Life decided it was time to move me to a higher grade, to teach me, take me beyond “theory” straight into the practicum. I said I wanted to write. But how to get there? “JUST DO IT.” I wanted to take some more classes. How would I pay for them, how would I juggle my schedule? “JUST DO IT.”

See, what used to bug me about “JUST DO IT” is that, rarely in life was anything as simple as “JUST”. I didn’t “just” wake up one day and decide I wanted to write. I didn’t “just” wake up one day and decide I wanted to go to grad school. No more than those folks in the Nike commercials woke up one morning and decided to “just” run, jump, ride, shoot, etc.

“JUST” involved SOME preparation, SOME planning…but NO procrastination. The skeleton of a poem came to me – a word, a phrase, an idea…and then? I “JUST” wrote it. A storyline came to me – a scene, a concept…and then? I “JUST” wrote it. Decided I was gonna turn the tables on fibromyalgia…and then? I “JUST” did it. Decided I was gonna live out loud and then? I “JUST” did it.

I came into this year determined not to have the same old conversations that I’d had last year and the year before. Not in the same way. I wasn’t going to talk about writing – I was going to “JUST DO IT”. I wasn’t going to talk about tightening up my finances – I was going to “JUST DO IT”. I wasn’t going to talk about improving my health – I was going to “JUST DO IT”.

It’s amazing how liberating “JUST DO IT” can be. Whodathunkit? And even more than “JUST DO IT”, I’m doing it well.

How ironic that I’m breaking in my new Ni.ke’s today? LOL

Happy Monday! Make it happen!