Nike’s tagline “Just Do It” is perhaps the most recognizable marketing slogan of all time.
For over three decades this catch phrase has served as a call to action for the slakers of the world to get off their ass, go for a run, and most importantly buy sneakers!
However, in a recent episode on the podcast: The Tim Ferriss Show, Best-selling author and entrepreneur Seth Godin suggested an updated version of the phrase geared towards entrepeneurs and creatives:
“Merely do it.”
Or
“Merely do the work.”
While not as pithy as the original, I prefer Godin’s version of the expression.
Godin explains we spend a needless amount of time creating narratives around the work we do. They may be things like:
“I’m not a good writer unless I get “X” many views on my blog”
“If this book isn’t a best seller, then I’m a failure”
“This story will shut up all the assholes who laughed at my English Degree.”
Do these narratives serve you? Do they make it easier to finish the work that needs to must do?
Completing the oft-quoted 10,000 hours required to master a skill is hard enough, will adding another emotionally charged element lessen the load?
I think not.
Yet many of us define ourselves by these stories. They inflame our insecurities and cause us to quit when we’re showing signs of improvement.
I say we ditch the dead weight. Narratives play out better on the page than in our head.
So show up, shut up, and merely do the work.