Just Do It

I love the Nike, “Just Do It” ads. Talk about meaningful branding, it is so simple to remember and yet it means so much.

There is a fine between being fearful and fearless and we are the only ones who can control this state.  I’m a big Yoga student and my most fearful pose is headstand, otherwise known as Adho Mukha Vriksasana.   I practice it almost everyday and I don’t think I’m making any headway. The problem with the pose is my head. Not that I don’t like it being upside down or banging it against the wall. It’s what goes on inside my head. The self-sabotage and thinking that infects my confidence and allows a wave of fear to suddenly crash over me. My hands start sweating, my heart starts racing, my body gets stiff and I am become paralyzed and can’t get up.

When I’m in class, my Yoga instructor orders up in the pose very quickly. “Don’t stop and think, just do it” he shouts. By the time I walk across the room and face the empty wall where I will jump to, the fear has entered and I’m useless.

In sales, we need to constantly improve and when we feel fear and panic, it keeps us down. How many times has your sales manager asked you to contact your prospect’s boss and you become fearful? What about when you think you are going to lose a deal because something happened at the last minute.

Don’t let fear or panic slow you down. Just do it. Here’s a great Russian Nike YouTube video to watch: