That was Karl’s plea to me when he was trying to complete his assignment for computer class. The year was 1980, and I met Karl while I was working as an aide in our college’s computer lab. Karl was an interesting fellow, but not so good at programming.
I adopted a very simple philosophy when it came to offering assistance to students: it was far better to teach them to fish than to throw them a fish, since ultimately that would make them more self sufficient and spare me from responding to an incessant stream of questions. Karl, unfortunately, would have none of it. Karl just wanted the fish: he didn’t care much about how to catch any of these himself. I suppose you really can’t blame him. I think he was majoring in English, or psychology, or some other humanities subject, and computer class was simply a requirement he needed to pass. “Don’t say, Just do!” He didn’t have the time or interest for any explanations; he just wanted the answer!
Over the years I’ve come to offer that same bit of counsel to myself, although it takes on a different meaning to me. In my case, you see, I often find myself analyzing, exploring, and studying a topic to such an extent that I postpone taking action. It’s a coping mechanism: mulling over something comes with no risk – of course, it offers little reward. The last two tenets of ACT encourage practitioners to evaluate their values, and then take action to pursue them. Vision without action is a daydream, as the Japanese proverb says.
So today I again remind myself: Don’t say, Just do! 🙂