Morning, Mazi :)
So in 2003, the Human Genome
Project was hailed a massive success.
We’d officially mapped out the
entire genetic makeup of human DNA, save a tiny percentage, with 99.9%
accuracy.
It doesn’t matter who you are,
where you came from or what your mother’s maiden name is — scientists now know
with astonishing certainty what you look like under a microscope.
But does that mean we can grow
another you in a petri dish?
Hardly.
We’re still toying with the
complexities and complications of recreating individual organs…let alone
cloning an entire human being.
It’s strange, actually…
We know all the ingredients
that make up a person, down to the molecule. We also know the exact order and
proportion those ingredients need to be arranged in.
Yet even with all of that
knowledge, we can’t figure out how to make a new human!
What’s missing from our
recipe?
Life.
I like to call this the “Go!” factor.
*******
When your genetic material is
taking shape in the womb, things don’t always fit together perfectly.
(Maybe there are even some conditions or
inconveniences you were born with that you wish you could change.)
But your cells don’t care
about any of that.
Their only goal is to create
life, then ship it to the world. Go!
There is no permission sought.
Consequences be damned. Go!
There is no weighing of pros
and cons or worrying about “if” and “whens.” Go!
“Defects” will be dealt with
later. Or not at all. Go!
The only goal is to ship the
project.
The project of You.
If you’re alive to read this
right now, your body made the right decision.
But sometimes your mind isn’t
as smart as your body.
It’s a shame that in our fully
formed state, most of us can’t harness such a painfully obvious approach as
“Go!” to bring our own ideas to life.
The difference between ideas
that become real, breathing entities — ideas that become books, speeches and
businesses — and those that die in the mind — is “Go!”
********
Right now, our generation is
low on “Go!”
We’re in dreadfully short
supply, matter of fact.
Why?
We’ve mistaken filling up the
car with gas for actually making the road trip.
We’ve confused the exhaustion
we feel from planning to act with the exhaustion that comes from actually
acting.
We also build high walls to
defend ourselves from our lack of “Go!“
One way to build a wall is to
insulate yourself with inspirational books, YouTube tutorials and endless
research so well that you actually forget that you haven’t done anything.
Try it. It works!
You can also protect yourself
from lack of Go! by investing all your energy into studying those who have a
lot of it. If you invest enough energy, you’ll begin to feel like you’re
moving too. It’s a wonderful vicarious experience!
Like licking the spoon when
your mom is making cookies — you get just a taste of the real experience. It’s
not the real thing, though. You laugh, cry and shout for your favorite
athletes when they score. You cheer for your favorite actors and
celebrities at the theatre and on television.
You wait with bated breath for
luminaries like Steve Jobs and Elon Musk to reveal the Next Big
Thing. Possibilities and grand visions stream into your brain and you
begin to feel energized.
Oh shit,
there’s a possibility that you might actually Go! this time.
Then, instead of taking that
newfound energy and using it to create something of your own, you diffuse it by
reaching for the remote.
Click.
Whew. That was close.
You’ve been waiting way too
long to Go!
*******
It’s time to stop sabotaging
yourself.
The tension you feel when
transitioning from at-rest to in-motion isn’t a warning sign that the machine
is about to break. It’s the necessary force you have to overcome to leave your
own atmosphere.
Get some thrust.
The concept
of Go! is so simple that I’m getting frustrated just writing about it.
You can apply Go! to anything,
big or small.
One common mistake is thinking
that only big projects count.
You don’t need to start a
million-dollar business, drop a #1 album or win the Ironman to activate your
Go! at full capacity.
Maybe the process for
reporting your sales numbers at work is tedious and time consuming. You know a
few formulas in a spreadsheet will save hours and dollars.
Do it today. Like now. Like,
right now. Don’t delay. Then show your team and ask them for feedback.
Every time you go to the gym,
you pass the Zumba class and look through the window. It looks like they’re
having so much fun! You’d like to join, but you don’t want to look like a fool.
Wouldn’t it be better to wait until you practiced at home a bit first?
No. No it wouldn’t be better,
actually. Turn around this instant, walk into that room and join the class
right now.
(Stand in the back if you’re
nervous.)
*******
By using your Go! power on
smaller projects, you’ll become increasingly comfortable with saying “yes” to
yourself and breaking through the learned inertia and malaise of our culture.
Here’s the
real key:
Choosing to Go! is choosing
change. Change for yourself and change for the world around you.Change is scary
and uncomfortable. Everyone knows this.
Ask Martin. Ask Gandhi. Ask
Elon. Ask Oprah.
But the resistance you
feel…the fear you feel…the uncertainty you feel…those aren’t red lights telling
you to stop what you’re doing.
Those are the green lights
telling you that you’re about to cross through the intersection of where you
are and where you want to be.
Step on the gas.
Go!
-DD
