I Read This: Shoe Dog, by Phil Knight

How the founder of Nike really - just did it.

D.
D.
Aug 23, 2017 · 2 min read

Last Friday, I fell sick, and decided to read something until I fell asleep again. GatesNotes had suggested a book about the founding of Nike, and I thought: why not? Biographies of successful people are often regarded as excellent reading material.

Eight hours later, I put it down not quite knowing exactly what I’d read.

“How I Just Did It”

The story is one of action — direct action, impulsive actions, sometimes reckless, poorly-planned, desperate-rearguard action. It’s not necessarily an action movie, but the story is told in terms of decisions, force applied and work done, and actions.

The story felt a little incomplete, because it lacked an overarching plot or a story arc or even character development. At one point, it felt more like reading a diary than the historic founding of an All-American, global phenomenon of a brand, lifestyle, philosophy — this happened, this burned down, this was our near miss escape (phew), hey, it worked! Crises are averted only for bigger crises to evolve, and each time it’s a different problem.

In fact, even the iconic swoosh and the name ‘Nike’ was a combination of a last minute decision, a random spot of luck, and an attitude of ‘eh, sod it, we can fix it later’.

Bill Gates reviewed it as ‘a reminder of the real path to success’.

So put aside your doubts, your thoughts, your worries and cares; planning is helpful, but action, motion, doing gets people places and makes things happen.

Just do it.

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D.

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