If I want to do something, why don’t I just get to it ?

This question comes to me every time I put my mind to something and then
I don’t go through with it, whatever the reason may be.
Do I not have self control ?

I wonder if it is actually that simple?
And If it is, why is the world not a better place? Shouldn’t everyone be successful then ?
I realised I ask myself this question because I want to be successful (which is something I know I want) and I don’t want any excuses attached to it.

Nikita Juneja (who guides us through these blogs) asked me, “What role does this question play in your life? Is it motivating, pressurizing, challenging, or limiting?”

*pause*

True !!
I had not thought about it from that perspective; where a ‘question’, like ‘people’ can have different roles in your life.
This made me wonder how others correlate with this question?
So, I asked a few people and this is what they said :

Rhythm: “If I want to do something, why don’t I just get to it?” For her, it’s about choice overload. wanting too many things at once – or not knowing if you really want it. She also mentioned distractions, self-doubt, and fear of stepping out of your comfort zone. To which I said “fair enough”.

Siddharth compared life to a Rajasthani thali: so many options that you lose focus. He believes procrastination comes from overthinking, not laziness, and drive matters more than motivation because it sustains action despite setbacks. I liked the rajasthani thali example, and gave perspective on ‘drive’.

On similar lines, Sashwat shared how his wants are constantly shifting. He often starts toward one goal, only to redirect when something else feels more appealing. which I realised is common and okay to do.

Rix talked about how overthinking can block happiness, while fear of failure or not doing enough takes control. “Fear stops me from doing something as simple as driving a car,” she said.

Ankita’s perspective added another layer: self-imposed limitations.“There’s an underlying fear that I’m not ready yet,” which struck a chord within me as
I’ve often felt like I need to be more prepared before taking action on my goals.

Arnav’s perspective was point blank: if you truly want something, you’ll do it. If you don’t, it’s because you value something else more, whether that’s sleep or wasting time. For him, it was about aligning his rational mind (prefrontal cortex) with his emotions (limbic system) and moving forward without overthinking. Which makes sense.

“If I want to do something, why don’t I just get to it?”
Now, after taking in all what was said , relating to some and some new – but relatable opinions. I also came across the Zen principle of “Beginner’s Mind” which talked about our approach to our goals with an open heart and a fresh perspective, free from the pressure to have everything figured out before we take the first step. This mindset encourages us to begin, no matter how small the step, and embrace the process of learning as we go.

Hmm.

Now that I have this information, how am I to go forward with this ?
I was struggling with an ending, maybe couldn’t let go.
But then , speaking with Ruby Jhunjhunwala (a ceramic artist and our guest mentor) about this helped.
She asked me,
Out of the 10 things you wanted to do, how many did you actually complete?

Then she said, “ if you have completed 8/10 of those tasks, I would say a job well done and if you have completed 1 out of those 10 tasks, I would say JOB WELL DONE as you managed to pick yourself up and do that task.”
Sometimes it’s that simple of a reminder or a genuine pat on your back. Yes.
Pat yourself on the back : ) or look in the mirror and verbalise your thoughts, do what works for you.

Then I thought about this question in a long term success manner, “If I want to do something, why don’t I just get to it?”
To this question now the thought comes :
In accordance with what I want to do at my core, I can plan shorter spurts of actionables and get to it : ) as the larger picture would always change.

And lastly, Ruby Aunty sees the Zen way as silencing the mind.

When I have a constant to-do list running in my head or written down somewhere but still can’t seem to get myself to do it – maybe that’s the problem. Writing it down is just putting it aside, knowing I’ll come back to it later. Instead, I could just act on it.
Or, the Zen way ; silence all my thoughts, take a moment, and then act on the first thought that comes to mind.

“If I want something, why don’t I just get to it”. Crazy how we can beat ourselves up over a simple question. I wonder which other questions like this can be silenced.
But That’s a question for another time.

 

*The images are taken from an instagram page @newhappyco which I love : )

– Nidhi