Lately, I have been obsessed with those calligraphy accounts on Instagram. For the past couple of weeks I would practically drool over the beauty of these calligraphy videos and wish that I was skilled enough to be able to create such gorgeous art. Then one day when I was feeling bored and unproductive, I made the conscious decision to teach myself to write like the Instagram calligraphers. And so, I sat down with my crayola washable markers and got to work. Naturally, my first dozen tries resembled the writing of a third grader who just learned cursive, but eventually I started to get the hang of it, and soon I doodled word after word in perfected, fancy font with ease.

And it was this moment of mastery that made me realize I really can do whatever I want to do. I am sure there are a few exceptions, but for the most part, you can do what you want as long as you are willing to just do it. For example, if you want to be a film maker, you can start now. Just write a script, grab a smartphone and some friends and go for it. Likewise, if you want to play soccer, there is nothing stopping you from going outside to your backyard and practicing. Even if the resources don’t manifest themselves directly to you at first, that doesn’t mean you should not do it. The important thing to remember is that though “just do it” may make doing what you want seem easy, that is not always the case and often, you must put time and effort into whatever it is you want to accomplish.

In addition, there comes a point when you must stop saying “when I get older” or “when I’m not so busy” because “when” is just an excuse for you not to be doing what you truly want to be doing. That’s all it is, a subconscious excuse that we all use from time to time to avoid possible failure and still seem in control of our lives. But, in reality, people who are actually in control of their lives do exactly what they want to do.

In fact, we were all like this once. There was a simpler time for all of us in which we would always do anything we wanted to. As kids, if we wanted to be fairy princesses, we were. And if we wanted to color, we did. Even though we were younger then, no obstacle was too big for us, and no chance was left untaken. Honestly, it’s sad to look back and try to remember when, in the scope of growing up, we lost that daringness to be and do exactly what we wanted. With that said, I have decided to resurrect that childhood quality within myself and I urge you to do the same. Last week, I taught myself the fundamentals of calligraphy and I intend to do much more with this new confidence I have in my actions. From now on when there is something I want to do, I will indeed “just do it.”