Nike announced on Monday that the 30th anniversary of its “Just Do It” campaign would star Colin Kaepernick, the former NFL quarterback who famously began kneeling during the national anthem in order to protest police brutality, igniting a national conversation about race, sports, and the meaning of patriotism.
Since his silent protest Kaepernick has yet to be signed by another team and has been ostracised and criticised by many for bringing his political views into the game. On occasions I suspect he has wondered if it was worth all the turmoil and stress it has created in his life and the damage it has done to his career.
The Insecurity of our decisions and life events can cripple us from doing our best creative work. We’ve all experienced the sudden jolt of uncertainty that leaves us feeling wary about what we’re making or doing.
Is your work good enough? Is this idea really as great as you originally thought it was? Does anyone care about what you’re doing; is it affecting them in a positive, meaningful way?
Fear blinds our vision. Curiosity opens the doors to new possibilities. All fears have answers hidden inside them. You just need to dig a little harder sometimes to find them.
Life is not about maintaining the status quo. Life is not about playing it safe every second nor is it about standing still and wallowing in self-doubt. Life is about connecting with your sense of self, your identity, respecting your integrity, and telling yourself that you are capable. An attempt to grow involves taking steps, regardless of how hard and small they might be, so you can move forward and evolve.
No matter what’s happening, you can efficiently fight the battles of today. It is only when you add the battles of those two relentless eternities, yesterday and tomorrow that life feels overwhelmingly complicated. Realize that it is not the experience of today by itself that devastates you, but the regret and resentment about something that happened yesterday or the fear and dread of what tomorrow might bring. It’s necessary, therefore, to let yourself live just one day at a time – just today – just right here, right now.
Dissect your fears with curiosity. Whilst pain in life is inevitable. Our level of suffering is optional and within our control.