#082: "Just Do It" Is Terrible Advice Without Preparation

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God gave us brains for a reason. This being said, “Just do it” is terrible advice, when there has been no preparation put into the “it”. I never want to confuse people, so after I wrote the phrase “If you keep waiting for the perfect time to begin, you’ll be waiting for a very long time” on my social media accounts the other day, I knew that I needed to give you more context. Please know that everything in life is a process, and that while there is no better time to begin than now, you shouldn’t be taking one giant leap towards your goal. “Rome wasn’t built in a day” is truth, not just some saying that sounds good. It truly is dedication to your journey, paired with persevereance to push you through difficulty along the way that makes you stronger, wiser, and better in the end.

You cannot just go and start a business without any prior training in a specific field and expect to succeed. In fact, you can apply this principle to anything you want to do. To “just do it” and throw tons of money into a business, or a project without knowing what you are doing is both dumb and irresponsible. So, here are four ways you can wisely achieve your end goals, while experiencing less frustration along the way:

Make A Plan

I will always go back to the need for this great advice. It’s never simple to construct a good plan, but it’s always worth the time. Planning allows you to dream, it allows you to form your future, and it helps you see your full potential. It’s fun to imagine what life can be with a little bit of imagination and a lot of work. Following a plan is even more difficult than constructing it, but the only way to reap benefits is to put forth effort. Make a plan, execute it, and enjoy the reward. And if things don’t work out as planned — which sometimes they don’t — there’s always plan b.

Ten years ago, I wrote down my top goal in life, and it just so happens that I’m working on the dream right now. Knowing what I wanted to do ten years ago allowed me to consistently work at becoming better, which brings me to my second tip — take baby steps.

Take Baby Steps

If something isn’t working, then it’s probably because you missed a step along the way, and need to take the time to evaluate the situation at hand, before you continue to move forward. The advice of “just do it” makes you want to have your dreams right away, but life just doesn’t work this way. Honestly, the process is the most enjoyable part. It’s where you make mistakes, it’s where you learn from the mess that life is, it’s where you impact people along the way, and it’s where you realize just how far you’ve come. The journey is necessary to prepare you for your even brighter future. You just have to be willing to find patience, determination, and discipline. The question is, are you willing to put the time in?

Build Security for the Future

What this brings to mind in my own journey is that I’ve built a business while owning another, more secure business to bring in other income. It is what has proven to work in my own life, and I would recommend it to others as well. Sure, it’s a lot of work, but such is life. People need to stop trying to escape work, and instead embrace it, for it is the time and effort we put in our work that can strengthen our desire to see success.

There is no need to put things in jeopardy of collapsing, when it may only take another year or two to see your dreams come true. What you need is more patience, not more achievements. What people have lost sight of is the need to enjoy life along the journey that is life. When people lose sight of this truth, the road to their dreams becomes miserable, not enjoyable. And if you can’t enjoy the pursuit of the things that you want most out of life, then what can you enjoy?

Soak Up Wisdom In Any Way You Can

Along the way, one of our first responses should be to learn from anything and everything we possibly can. Whether you like to read web articles, sit down with mentors, network with others in your field, talk to people who you consider to be wise, watch videos on YouTube, or listen to podcasts, there are so many ways that you can learn what you need to know. It is so important to make the time to increase knowledge while you are pursuing your “it”. Don’t become so immersed in the work, that you forget to learn along the way. And as John Wooden said, “When an opportunity presents itself, it is too late to prepare.” Prepare now, and use what you have learned from your experiences in the future.