Walk Off Winning

18Be a Doer, Not a Talker

I DO. Two powerful words when you stop and think about it, because our minds are constantly telling us to “do” something.

Let's see. I have to do the food shopping, make dinner, get the kids home from practice, meet that deadline for a presentation at work, and so on. We all have daily tasks to accomplish in order to have a functioning work and family life.

As the daily grind of our workday begins, most people get their to-do list going. (My wife calls it the honey-do-list.) It can be scribbled on a yellow sticky note, typed up on the phone, or simply placed on a mental list just after the alarm goes off at 6 a.m. So at 6:01 a.m., a string of obligations runs through our minds: I have to put the garbage out, get the kids fed, walk the dog, and get my big presentation ready for the boss.”

We all “do” a lot throughout the course of the day. But what we do are a series of small assignments. Simply put, we follow marching orders set by ourselves or others, in an effort to complete a series of tasks.

What I want to “do” in this chapter is to look at another level of “doing,” when you set out to accomplish something much greater than a simple task. This might be something that you are fearful of or that sits completely outside your comfort zone—for example, a project that concerns you because you doubt your abilities to succeed, and it might result in embarrassment, shame, or rejection if not completed properly.

Are you capable of making that leap of faith? ...