# Overcoming the Just Do It Mindset By:: [[Brian Heath]] 2022-10-06 This morning I heard a story on NPR that the founder of the marketing firm that launched Nike's "Just Do It" campaign passed away. He came up with the slogan based on the final words of a death row inmate. Right before the inmate was executed he said, "Let's do it." The marketer said he was inspired by the inmate's words to move forward in the face of uncertainty. Overall, the story celebrated the marketer and the cultural phenomena of "Just Do It" and Nike. This story made me think about the ease at which we feel comfortable jumping from someone's execution to using their final words to sell shoes. I believe the intention of the slogan and the criminal's last words is to advocate the idea of moving forward. To act and to stop thinking. Sometimes we overthink things, and it causes paralysis and overwhelming anxiety. So, there are merits in just moving forward. However, sometimes just doing it is how you end up on death row or with $500 running shoes when you haven't run in 5 years. Note that most companies like it when you just do it. What is the right balance between the just-do-it and think-before-you-act mindsets? Well, both of these mindsets engage different parts of your brain. Just-do-it engages your more primitive brain that is incapable of speech and reasoning. Think-before-you-act engages your brain where language and complex ideas live. Both of these systems exist for a reason. Sometimes you don't have time to think and doing is the best way to survive. Think of encountering a bear in the woods. Other times thinking things through is the best approach. If you are in an immediate emergency, you won't have time to think it through. Your lizard brain will take over and you'll instinctively respond. This is the just-do-it mentality of the death row inmate and what advertising companies want you to use. Hopefully, you'll rarely face a legitimate emergency. Most situations you face are not real emergencies, but artificial ones. If you find yourself with time to think but with a lot of pressure to decide due to management, salespeople, or advertisements, then it's probably worthwhile to err on the side of doing a bit more thinking. Take rhythmic breaths for a few minutes (inhale for 4 seconds, hold for 1 second, and exhale for 4 seconds, repeat) to turn your logic brain back on and then proceed. Things will be clearer to you as this resets your lizard brain to not just do it based on artificial pressure. Check out this [[Coherence - The Science of Exceptional Leadership and Performance|book]] for more details on this approach. If all else fails, remember the origin of "Just Do It" to snap you back into the [[reality]] that buying shoes is not the same as facing your imminent death. #### Related Items [[Marketing]] [[Mindset]] [[Decision-making]]