It’s easy to overthink things, to either convince ourselves we’re right for taking the action we really want to take and know we shouldn’t, to try to put off a decision we don’t want to make or to try to make a decision on our own when we would be better off consulting with others. We can waste a lot of time thinking to try to get a desired result or to prolong doing what we know we should do.
There are definitely things that need time to percolate, we may need to figure out what course of action needs to be taken, or determine whether it’s a direction we really want or need to go, but when we sit in inaction too long and not take the action required to move forward we can get ourselves into trouble. I, many times, in my past would also allow my thinking to take me way off course and I would get stuck in it and preventing me from forward. I also, not sharing my truth with those around me, would mostly rely on myself and not talk things out with others or ask for advice, which would paralyze me in the place I was because my negative mind always tried, and most often succeeded, to sabotage any plans that would move me into a better place. My best thinking, alone, eventually, brought me to my knees, and nearly cost me my life. To get better I had to realize my thinking isn’t always the best thinking, in fact, often it wasn’t.
We know, instinctively, many times, what is right for us or not, we may need some help or a nudge in the right direction if we are heading into new territory or pushing ourselves to new heights, but we typically have a sense of where we should be going or what we’re attracted to. It’s when we’re thinking too long, or overthinking, that it’s a sign that we are trying to force something that isn’t right for us, or we may be headed in the wrong direction. There are those moments too that our mind may tell us something different than our “gut” to try to throw us off, sometimes our mind can’t be trusted to tell us what’s right and it may be trying to sabotage us, or may be ruled by fear, so getting into the habit of sharing our ideas and plans with those we trust in our lives is a good safety net that we are making decisions that are right for us.
It is important to think things through, but thinking too long is usually a sign that something may be wrong with either the idea or our ability to take the right action. There are times when it can be difficult to make a decision, but when we have people in our lives we can talk things through, many times some insight comes to light and that one decision becomes clearer, so next time you’ve been thinking for a long time, ask yourself what’s holding you back, the answer may be your thinking. SLAY on!
SLAY OF THE DAY: Do you tend to get stuck thinking a long time and it prevents you from moving forward and taking action? What keeps you stuck there? What have you been thinking about and have not been able to move forward on? What can you do to move past the place you are? Are you stopping yourself from moving forward? Do you believe you don’t deserve to move forward? If not, why not? Do you talk things through with someone else as your thinking things through? If not, why not? What stops you? Sometimes our thinking can get in our own way and keep us where we are, or pull us back, whether consciously or unconsciously, it’s important to keep ourselves honest about the time we’re spending before we take action, and that we’re taking the right action. Sometimes it takes an outside person to set us straight, and sometimes it’s just a matter of taking that first step and not overthinking it, if we’re headed in the right direction, that direction will come if we’re open to it.
S – self L – love A – appreciate Y – you
State Of Slay™ 