Inspiration for 2024
Do the thing...
I wanted to get in better shape and decided the best way to do this was to start running. No gym membership required. No weights. All I needed to do was run.
Talking about something is easy. Planning to do something is easy. It’s easy to pretend or fake it, anyone can do it. Actually, doing (what I refer to is execution) is one of the most common reasons people fail and it happens far too often.
Are You Actually Doing?
I came across this essay via the Strangest Loop titled “things that aren’t doing the thing” and it hit me like a ton of stone. I’m usually direct in my communication but this essay sums up execution/doing better than I could, as evident by this post. If you want to succeed in 2024 and beyond, you have to start by doing the thing.
Once I made the commitment to run I started my research. What sneakers were best. What shirts and shorts were ideal for runners, and reflective, to keep me safe. I went through my Spotify playlist so I had music or podcasts to listen to as I ran. I told my wife and friends I was going to run and even looked up what I would need in the rain and cold so the weather didn’t stop me. I was now a runner.
But I wasn’t. The funny thing about being a runner is you actually have to run. You have to “do the thing that is doing the thing”. It’s that simple.
It doesn’t matter what your title is. It doesn’t matter how good of a plan you come up with or how much research you do. It doesn’t matter what your LinkedIn title says or what you tell your friends and family you do. In the end, the only way to achieve your goals or vision is by doing.
As we start a new year and set ambitious goals for 2024, take a moment to reflect on what it will take to achieve them. No matter what it is, if you want to achieve it, you’ll need to start doing.
