You Have To Do The Thing To Be The Thing

You have to do the thing to be the thing.

If you want to be a writer, you have to write.

If you want to be a singer, you must sing.

If you want to be a business owner, you need to start a business. If you’re going to be an actor, you need to act. If you’re going to be a composer, you must write music. A baker must bake, a teacher must teach, an athlete must play, and a doctor must heal.

The list goes on and on.

The steps to achieve the goals that you what to achieve — the titles, the roles, and the positions will vary depending on what “thing” you want.

Sometimes it will be finding the time within your day to cultivate your art — despite your busy schedule. Sometimes your “thing” will require more schooling — college, postgraduate studies, professional training, etc. Sometimes your “thing” will involve knowing how to make your calendar work for you so that you can get to the gym, or spend more time with your loved ones, or run errands with peace instead of frenzy.

Sometimes it’ll be something else entirely.

But there is one thing that remains certain — you have to put action behind your dreams. You must do the “thing” you want to be, not just say it.

Dreaming is a verb — there is action, there is doing.

If you don’t do the things you want to do, you will never get there. You will never be there. You will never achieve the “thing” that you want — whatever that “thing” is for you.

You have to do something.

You have to carve out time in your day to make your art. You have to prepare for exams and classes if you need more schooling. You must physically put yourself in the space where you are “doing” to make your dreams a reality.

Just talking about it isn’t enough.

Just manifesting it isn’t enough.

Just making lists isn’t enough.

There must be action behind your goals. There must be a “doing” to your dreaming.

Make a list — but then act upon it.

As Nike says, “just do it.”