Why 'Just Do It"

I suppose that I should credit Nike for helping to turn these three words into an iconic phrase.  I always loved that ad campaign especially the one with the woman who wakes up to a buzzing alarm on a cold grey morning and sits on the side of the bed.  The next time you see her she is running through puddles on a city street.  All that is said is "Just Do It".  The temptation to get back to sleep in a nice cozy bed must have been great but she doesn't. 

At work people would joke that I was the "Just Do It" girl as I would get frustrated with the sometimes endless committees put in place to try to decide whether or not to proceed with a project.  I can agree that gathering data and looking at variables is valuable but at some point you just have to go for it. 

It took me months to get around to starting a blog.  The stumbling block for me was what to call it.  I wanted something clever and positive and not focused on me alone.  I would like it if all women could relate on some level to this blog. 

So - "Judy Ju Jube" wouldn't work and "Cup of JO" (my initials) was taken.  My husband  thought up "Judyisms" which I loved.  It had the clever component that I was looking for but it was personal in that my name was in it.  It would have been event better if I was Jewish.  I thought of "Blob Blog" as that is how I was feeling for awhile but it is definitely not positive. 

I kept saying to myself "Come on Jude, Just do it" and so it seemed that should be the name.  I like the phrase.  That is really what we should be about.  Instead of thinking abaout drawing or scrapbooking or whatever you should just take a deep breath and "Just dot it".  You very likely won't regret it, whatever 'it' is, but you might not feel so good about spending 5 hours in front of the TV every evening.  The trick is getting past that lazy fog that lives in most of our heads.  " Just do it". 

Well we can have good intentions can't we?

My Purpose

I want to use this blog as a journal where I can list my goals and track how I achieve them.  I see the purpose of this blog as motivational, accountable and experimental.

The word motivational means 'to stimulate interest in' and one of the meanings of its root word motive means 'what induces a person to act whether it be desire, fear or circumstance'. For instance, I have a desire to be slimmer and regain my physical fitness.  Circumstances ( a stressful year, the onset of menopause and becoming bored with my previous work out) have meant that I have let myself go.  My fear is that there will be a loss of my health an well-being. These combined motivate me to want to change. 

To achieve a goal it seems to me that it is helpful to be accountable to someone.  It is certainly that way in the work world.  Achieving my goals is a personal pursuit and so the only person that I really need to be accountable to is myself.  I think it will be good to have a place to do that.  Any journal would work but trying something new appealed to me and if anyone decides to follow this and perhaps support me that would help as well.

I think of this blog as experimental because I think it will be interesting to see if blogging helps me to succeed in achieving my goals.

"To gain respect, begin by respecting yourself. Live up to your word. Do not, under any circumstances, go against that in which you believe. Do not exploit others. And, most importantly, start to love, wishing good and success to everyone you meet."

~Thomas D. Willhite~

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."

~Mark Twain~

New Year's Resloutions

New Year's Resolution Number 1 - Create a Blog!  Now to follow through with postings.  I have some stuff to figure out.