Sunday 22 January 2012

Learn by doing.


“In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing.”
- Theodore Roosevelt

Action. It’s what gets things done.

Like Theodore Roosevelt said, the worst thing you can do is nothing. Chances are you are reading this blog because you are trying to learn what you need to do. That is excellent, because if you don’t know what you need to do you are going to have a hard time doing it...but don’t get caught up in the learning. 

Learn by doing.

If you don’t know what to do, jump in. You’ll figure it out. If you do it wrong, you’ll survive, and you’ll learn from your mistakes.

There are thousands of things you can do to make money, and I can’t tell you which one to choose. You might be good at all of them, or none at all. That’s not really relevant, because I do believe, like Theodore Roosevelt said, that doing nothing is the absolute worst thing you can do.

I am a man of action, and I have a hard time sitting by on the sidelines and doing nothing. I have a lot of scars to show for the wrong things I have done, but I have also learned some important lessons from them.

Now, don't do something stupid and get yourself into trouble. Look before you jump, but jump just the same. If you don’t, you will be doing the worst thing.

9 comments:

  1. Hi Matt,
    I could not agree more,you don't know what will work for you untill you try it.
    One thing i have found though is those who are good at writing have a much better chance of succeeding on the web than the rest of us.
    Mick Phillips

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  2. Awesome post. It was crisp and to the point, inspirational and had a call to action, well done!

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  3. Good thoughts, Matt. Harder to do something than to think of it, but definitely the way to go.

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  4. Very inspiring Matt.... Makes you feel like there's hope for ordinary people :)

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  5. You're right and these principles apply even to those of us who write for a living. Sometimes the hardest part is just forcing ourselves to sit down at the keyboard and get started!

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  6. Amen, Matt! Nobody lies on their deathbed and says "Gosh, I wish I had just stayed home and watched TV more..." Life is for living!

    We should all try to do as much of what we're interested in as possible, because who knows? You might be mowed down by a garbage truck tomorrow.

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  7. Thanks for the comments guys! Hopefully none of you are mowed down by a garbage truck tomorrow! How many times have we all sat around lamenting our misfortunes? Nike has it right, Just do it!

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  8. I love this blog! I'm a great supporter of the jump off the cliff school. I'm old enough now to have seen way too many people want to try something big but are chicken to try. So they go on being accountants or librarians or school teachers lamenting their lost opportunities instead of actors or writers or professional sky divers. Have a dream? Try it, if you fail you can always go back to that other job.

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  9. I read your blog per your request. I give you a thumbs up...well said.

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