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Doing is Better Than Thinking

While I write a lot here about DJ mental health and coaching ideas, there’s something far more effective than reading and thinking.

It’s DOING.

I met with my friend DG yesterday. He started DJing at eight years old, even playing at school discos. While fully plugged into his passion, he jokingly says the other boys got the girls. A great example of how DJing can be a peripheral and unusual thing to do—one that takes a weird level of interest and fascination (which we all call passion).

We spoke about getting nervous before gigs, and DG said, “I’ve always found getting on and DJing is much better than thinking about DJing.”

I couldn’t agree more. Just step up to the decks. Avoid the resistance. As soon as you start playing, your natural skills will kick in—even if you’re shaking with nerves.

The Power of Doing

Research supports this. The classic book Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway by Susan Jeffers highlights how action dismantles fear more effectively than overthinking ever could. Studies in psychology show that exposure therapy—gradually facing fears through action—reduces anxiety significantly. In other words, getting out there and actually DJing is the best way to stop fearing it.

This aligns with the experiences of people I’ve met, like:

• Rupa Huq, our local Labour MP, has been a DJ for decades. She tells a story about how she filled in a form saying she wanted to DJ, but someone misread it and thought she was a DJ. They invited her to play. Scared as hell, she turned up, had a great time, and the rest is history.

• Nappsta, a new friend, had been learning to DJ when one of his mates mentioned knowing someone in Ibiza. Within a few months, he was playing at Space. Since then, he’s gone on to produce music.

The worst that can happen is something goes wrong, so always good to get some advice:

Say Yes More

In all three examples, the common response was to say yes.

When you’re starting out, you need to say yes to every opportunity. The more time you spend doing, the less time fear and over-analysis can take over.

Fear lives in thought, but confidence is built in action.

So, step up. Play. Say yes. And trust that once you’re in the mix, you’ll find your flow.