Just Do Something
Who’s your favorite movie genius? Mine’s Will Hunting.
Will Hunting, from the aptly titled Good Will Hunting, is the smart-mouthed prodigy who cleans the floors of MIT while secretly completing world-class math theory as if he’s doodling on The Boston Globe. Will is brash, cocky, and fiercely loyal, and he’s as intellectually gifted as anyone the university’s professors have ever encountered.
But what makes him my favorite, as professor Sean Maguire quickly learns, is he’s also effectively paralyzed. Will can quote Shakespeare, Nietsche, and Kant; he can smooth-talk his way through an interview with the NSA; he understands this. But when he’s asked a simple question—”What do you want?”—he’s stumped.
Can you relate? Okay, maybe not the Shakespeare part. But in one way or another, most of us have experienced what's often known as analysis paralysis. For example, have you ever stared at a menu for 15 minutes just to order the same thing as last time? Or scrolled through Netflix for so long that you gave up and flipped on The Office for the 38th time? Just me?
Analysis paralysis is the crippling habit of overthinking every decision until you’re frozen. In 2025, we’re a click, tap, or swipe away from so many options that it’s usually easier to window shop than to actually commit to a purchase, so to speak. Our brains love it because it feels safe—if we keep analyzing, we never actually have to make a decision, right? But (spoiler alert) you’re not really safe from mistakes. You’re just stuck.
So what’s the cure?
A few years ago I read a book by Kevin DeYoung with a deceptively challenging title: Just Do Something. I especially appreciate the subtitles.
Just Do Something: A Liberating Approach to Finding God's Will Or How to Make a Decision Without Dreams, Visions, Fleeces, Impressions, Open Doors, Random Bible Verses, Casting Lots, Liver Shivers, Writing in the Sky, Etc.
What DeYoung argues is that there’s often no magic formula to discerning the “right” path forward, aside from the two great commandments—to love God and love others. In other words, you don’t necessarily have to wait for divine intervention when deciding between UT or MTSU. You don’t have to wait for a supernatural premonition before asking out the cute girl from the coffee shop.
Sure, there’s wisdom in careful evaluation before diving headlong into life’s biggest commitments. But most of the time, especially if you’re hesitant by nature, you’re better off picking a route and moving forward than spinning your wheels in the parking lot. It’s sort of like what Yogi Berra once said: “When you come to a fork in the road, take it!”
So the next time you’re wrestling with a decision—whether it’s a college, a restaurant order, or seeing about a girl—the answer might be simpler than you think.
Just do something!
