Dude, just do it (a total self-projection of everyone's flaws and how to fix them)

In 1976, Gary Gilmour was put to death for the murder of 2 men in Utah. Before he was put to death, the executioner asked if he had any last words. His response: "Let's do it". In 1988, Dan Wieden replaced the "Let's" with, "Just" and thus, one of the world's most captivating and motivational slogans took over the world. Now we can debate about the ethics of Nike's business practices or complain about a $130 price tag on a fleece that the company is selling on its website but that would detract from what I want to get across in this first post to this website of infinite possibilities.

How much are you worth?

We live in a world where caring about appearances or identity is becoming more and more common. We measure ourselves either consciously or subconsciously to one another, trying to see where we stack up against our fellow humans in a world overflowing with materialistic urges. But what about the substance underneath the glamour? We care so much about our external appearance that we lose sight of who we are internally. Vice versa, you can be so obsessed with your internal self that you completely let go of any outside ambitions that you may have once had. Mental debilitation is a systemic issue that everyone suffers from to some degree. When you have so many options to choose from, but you can only choose one, what do you do? Are you making the right call? Is this the best decision for your future? Will you lose your friends from this decision? How will the world and those closest to me view me? How will I view me? The questions overflowing. The fear is crippling. So instead, of doing something. You choose to do nothing. Because burying your head in the sand, is not only easier, but also enjoyable. It provides an extra 5 minutes of quick relief before the 5 minutes stacks into 5 hours of increased grief. Ironic, how our brains can recognize when we're fucking up yet, we still fuck up because we just can't help it.

What do we do?

A little over a year and a half ago, my finances were in ruin. Every paycheck would be going into something useless that I didn't need. There came a day where I was talking to my father and my own internal frustration boiled over and I expressed my desire to turn things around. The game plan was simple, take every useless purchase that you made and if it's a recurring monthly payment, eliminate it. Put money into savings and ensure that any bills you possess have been paid. Then, reevaluate your finances at the end of the month to see where you stand. While I am nowhere near where I want to be from a financial sense, the one component that stuck with me throughout the whole process of breaking the chains of complete financial destitution was the phrase, "just do it." Willingly taking one's head out of the sand, smelling the ashes and then choosing to rebuild is a decision that is invigorating and give's someone purpose. It also forces you to think granular. No longer do you have these ethereal ideas swimming in your head. Instead, you have now taken that ethereal idea, turned it into a goal, and then figured out every single step to achieve that goal. Sometimes, you'll need to take a seat on the steps and look back down to see how far you've climbed. Sometimes, someone else will pull you over to their steps and you embrace a partner with a similar vision of self-improvement. If you're feeling really zesty, sometimes you can open up that staircase and get a whole bunch of people on those steps with you. We call this polystepory. What matters, is that you take every step with confidence, consciously evaluate the decisions you're making, and be as critical as you can be in the most positive way possible. The last thing you should be cognizant of, is how you're using your time as a human being. While I abide by the quote, "time you enjoy wasting is not time wasted," you should also be aware of where you are on your staircase and see how much farther you want to get. This is where ideas and motives become strictly personal and only you the individual can answer that question.