Just do it.

Nike made millions off this slogan -- well, and apparently off Air Jordans -- but I digress... There's something though about the underlying message that should not be dismissed as another corporate gimmick. Well, it may have started off this way, but it means so much more.

How often have we heard others or ourselves in moments of "I can't", "I'm not good enough"... Replace the self-doubt with "just do it"... Picture Michael Jordan's image embossed on those shoes of soaring through the air, ball poised to score the 3 point shot... And what do you get, a very expensive shoe and a very rich athletic apparel company. Yes, but the concept Nike has used to make its billions off of should be something that tell ourselves everyday.... Not to be like Mike, though appealing to some, but to "do it".

How many times have we told ourselves, "it's not something I'm good at", or "S/He's smarter than I am"... "I'm not - tall, prettier, skinny, capable, strong, intelligent, quick - enough" replaces, I can. Granted, there are those with natural skills or aptitude... Height making the basket that much closer, small stature making gymnastics easier, a natural ability for numbers, a lack of squeamishness in the face of blood... But just because a person is faced with one of these barriers, it doesn't mean they can't. So s/he doesn't become an olympic gymnast, but can still turn a fine cartwheel, or a prominent linguist but can still converse in four languages... Why, because somewhere along the line, s/he stopped to try, stopped to take a ballet lesson, run track in school, read a prominent academic publication to learn more about a topic of interest...

In the process of trying we may fall, face obstacles, setbacks and sometimes, it may seem easier to quit. A favourite quote of mine by Brock Tully, a local author and speaker, says "I'll never find out what I can do, unless I do all I can to find out". First, we owe it to ourselves to let our light shine, to discover all the we can do and all the power and potential that we posess. So that when this life is coming to an end, we are not left wondering... "What if?", "could I have?" And if we do not discover all that we can do, we may deprive the world of the cure to cancer, the next great novel, a sportshero, a coach who inspries a lifetime of "I can", inspiring mentor, loving mother or father, teacher who goes the distance, grandmother next door who comforts,... Born into a world of opportunity, whether middle class, struggling or wealthy, born into a time where limits are endless...

Think you can't? Just do it.