Do It

The moments before we actually decide to do something scary, intimidating, or requiring courage are, upon reflection, so much worse than once we start doing the thing. Fear kills creativity. Fear kills innovation. Unchecked, fear kills hope. I grew up with the Nike slogan: “Just do it.” I have always been interested in punctuation, and I love the period in this phrase—like it’s not a big deal to do “it.” The non-specificity of it is correct because “it” is everything—all things, anything, whatever you are afraid of, whatever needs to be done, just do it. It will be okay. Better than okay, because without fear, life cannot be extraordinary.

In museums, we debate how much space should be allocated for rotating exhibitions and how much for the permanent collection. In general, people want to see new things. But it’s also nice to have anchors, favorites, old friends, and works that we can visit again and again because they matter to us, provide guidance, or offer insight.