Why do it?

That is Nike's new slogan and ad campaign, an attempt (apparently) to reach their potentially anxious audience who may be hesitant, watching, afraid to just do it.

I absolutely love it!!

But, perhaps not for the reasons you may think.

First of all, I am not a fan of dramatically using sports metaphors to apply to life, or work. Great athletes are just as prone to being lousy leaders as the rest of us, and their athletic prowess may or may not assist them in coping with life's toughest sh*t.

Secondly, this is a paid ad, likely very expensive, to get people to buy things. As far as I'm concerned, Nike has produced much better ads with their partners at Wieden+Kennedy then they do actual athletic shoes. Maybe just my POV, as a completely mediocre athlete.

So why do I love the campaign?

Because it identifies the risks of doing nothing, of staying the same, of always being comfortable.

In the workplace, I see this play out in teams avoiding conflict, leaders not showing their vulnerabilities, and individuals sitting silently on their awesome ideas. It is always about fear of what might happen.

In life, I see us misconstruing feeling "safe" with feeling alive.

Life?

It is treacherous. Ragged. Hard. Big. Scary.

But every single thing we do that matters contains risk. And the risk of NOT doing the thing, are very, very high.

I did my annual jump off a high spot at the beach again this year, even though my old bones chattered. Why not do it?

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