We live in a society that places a lot of importance on intellect. On learning the ins and outs of things on a deep level before we jump in and actually do the damn thing. Hell, I even have a tendency to lean that way automatically, often without even realizing it.
But what I’m realizing as I get older is that the key to figuring out the sweet spot for most stuff, can’t be intellectualized… it’s gotta be felt.
And in order to feel it, it’s gotta be experienced.
We can read a hundred books on how to be the perfect parent, or watch a hundred YouTube videos on how to tile a bathroom floor. We can go to a seminar on how to have the perfect golf swing, or read a hundred articles on how to have the perfect relationship. At the end of the day, we gotta stop intellectualizing and just do the damn thing.
(And, if we’re honest with ourselves, sometimes the desire for more information is actually, deep down, a sneaky form of procrastination).
Don’t get me wrong — books are good. Seminars are good. Learning is good. They’re all important and they have a place in the pursuit of better. But lots of things? Lots of things are best learned and best improved by feel. By doing. The process of experiencing things first hand for ourselves, reflecting, and making adjustments and trying again. Only YOU know what feels good, what feels right, and what balance YOU, personally, need to strike in order to achieve optimal results for yourself.
You could read a hundred books about the perfect golf swing and still be a shitty golfer. I bet, though, if you spent all that time hitting the driving range instead, you probably wouldn’t be half bad.
Sometimes — lots of times, actually — to “do” is better than to “think.”
Don’t intellectualize it too much. It’s a feel.
So get in there and do the damn thing.
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