Just do it!
When I started taking voice-over training, one of the first concepts they taught was emphasis. Meaning, putting more weight on one word makes it the focus of the entire sentence.
They gave us the phrase: Mary had a little lamb, then had us practice emphasizing different words each time we said it. So by saying MARY had a little lamb, Mary became the focus. Mary HAD a little lamb, seemed to indicate she doesn’t have one any more, and so on.
Well, that practice has become a bit of a habit. Just the other day I came across Nike’s slogan, “Just do it!” I started saying it with different emphases. Usually people think of “Just DO it!” But, when I got to “JUST do IT!”, it took on a whole new meaning!
We all have goals in life, things we hope to achieve. But how focused are we on them, really? Do we give them the attention they deserve? JUST do IT denotes a prime focus on your goal, and a supreme determination to reach it. We must crowd out all the noise (there’s a lot these days, isn’t there), so we can hear our heart speak it’s truest desires.
Say you take two people with the same dream vacation. One is saving up here & there for it. Sometimes he spends a bit of his trip money on ‘emergency items’. But mostly he wishes and wishes and wishes he were in a better place than ‘here’.
Person two on the other hand is not just saving money. She’s got pictures of her destination on the mirror at home, and on her computer at work. She works extra hours, and does odd jobs on the side to help speed things along.
Who’s more likely to get to Fiji? (oops, that’s MY next dream vacation!)
Ask yourself: Am I willing to do whatever it takes to achieve my goals? Am I doing everything I can to make them happen? How devoted am I to my goals…. really?
In this increasingly distracted world, we must muster up our courage and strength, hope and faith. We must rally the powers of the universe behind us, and finely focus them on our target. Good intention is not enough. Steven Covey, in “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
The question I ask myself at the end of the day is:
“Did my thoughts and actions today reflect my vision for tomorrow?”
Say YES to your dreams, and have peace.
January 1st, 2009
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