The weird origin of “Just Do It”

“Just Do It” 

I bet as you read that you didn’t even think -

“Just do what, Col?”

Rather you immediately thought of Nike, so synonymous is “Just Do It” with Nike.

Yet “Just Do It” has an origin you wouldn’t think of for a major sports clothing brand.

Back in 1987 Nike were running ads that covered every sport imaginable but nothing connected them.

The ads were all great on their own but the only reason you knew they were Nike ads was that everyone was wearing Nike clothing.

And Dan Weiden, one of the owners of Weifen + Kennedy who were making the ads, felt they needed that “thing”.

Something that when you saw it instantly made you think of Nike...even without the swoosh.

Something that suggested a connection between the elite athletes in the adverts and the ordinary punters heading out the door at the crack of dawn for a run.

But the source wasn’t a quote from Michael Jordan…far from it.

The source material was the dying words of convicted murderer Gary Gilmore as he stood before the firing squad. 

Before the 6 gunmen opened fire, Gilmore said “Let’s do it”.

Not perhaps the heritage you might expect for the tagline of a global sporting brand but there you have it.

Weiden took Gilmore’s words and turned them into the now infamous “Just Do It”.

And I think Nike are onto something.

“Just Do It” works well in business as well as the sporting arena.

So many coaches overthink things and then never do the one thing that would drive their business forward.

It might be actually emailing the people on your list.

It might be launching ads for the first time.

It might be, and often is, putting up your prices.

But waiting for the right time is where your hopes and dreams of growing your business go to die.

If you are thinking about doing “it” and you want to do “it” "eventually," just do whatever your “it” is and correct course along the way.

Saying you'll try is giving yourself an out. 

That, if you don't get something done, well, it wasn't your fault. 

Some other shit that wasn't your fault got in the way.

Instead, commit to a task and get it done.

Don’t put your big goals off. They’re too important for that.

And, if you take this approach every week, snowball into an unstoppable force as you surge towards creating the business of your dreams.

Just Do It

You won’t regret it.