How to Stop Overthinking

Do you know what separates you from what you want?

Action.

The correct action in the right direction is the key to success.

Occam's Razor: Simplicity wins.

I've been thinking about overthinking. Haha. Oh, that's funny.

The only way we achieve anything is by doing.

Something I'm naming the C.I.A. Method: how to get what you want. Because if you put a cool-sounding name on it, people will pay attention.

I'll tell you what it means in a minute...

Thinking alone won't get us anywhere.

I'm writing this because I'm an over-thinker. Thinking is my superpower but also my kryptonite.

If you overthink, procrastinate, or have perfectionist tendencies, this one's for you...

Let's explore why we overthink and want things to be perfect before taking action.

Why We Overthink

Most likely, it's rooted in fear.

Fear of...

• Failure

• Letting an "authority" figure down

• Being yelled at

• Being criticized

• Being talked down to

• Being less than

• Being "found out" as a fraud/imposter

When we overthink or procrastinate, we'll think we're safe from the above potential "harm." Staying in this state robs us of the opportunity to build resilience and strength.

Think about this. How you grew up shaped who you are today. Trained was your brain to operate how you do. I didn't want to post on social media when I left the business in June last year.

I was overthinking it and felt nothing I posted would be good enough.

I had an inner "judge, critic, naysayer" saying, "Oh, that won't be good enough."

It won't be good enough = I won't be good enough = I won't be good enough = it won't be good enough, thus the cycle continues. And we don’t move the needle.

So my frame of reference is, "It needs to be "perfect" or what is the point?" If it's not good enough or perfect or __________, then I must not be good enough, perfect or ___________.

Hurt or Damaged Ego

Not taking action (overthinking, procrastinating, or perfectionism) is our way of controlling how people view us. When we maintain how people view us, we can protect our ego.

When we overthink, the brain thinks it's being productive and protecting. It's not. It only keeps you in a state of in-action.

In-action = nothing accomplished.

Press the Ego—the Skill Gap.

Action presses on our skill gap. Knowing our skill gap is vital to grow our business. Remember this post?

Growing a business requires skills.
Leading: requires skills.
Running Ads requires skills.
Selling: requires skills.
Getting leads requires skills.
Managing money requires skills.
Getting clients from Instagram requires skills.

If I want to accomplish a goal, I MUST acquire skills. Continual growth requires continual learning.

Protecting my ego is not in alignment with what I want. So, I must ask myself: Is protecting my ego more important than doing what's necessary? That is, going through the skill-learning process.

If I want to get clients from Instagram, I must try new things. Of course, there are ways to speed up the process (coach, course, book), but we can't make that a crutch.

In my first essay for this community, I talked about "learning in public.”

C.I.A. Method

Consistent-Imperfect-Action

Taking consistent, imperfect action will win.

Consistency: builds momentum
Imperfection: value it
Action: provides feedback

Nothing is fixed. The goal is to be adaptable, pliable, and adjustable.

If my intention IS imperfection, then it helps me not overthink or try to be perfect all the time.

Knowing that the world is in a constant state of change means the variables are constantly changing.

1. Commit to "stacking bricks"

Stacking one brick after another over time, you'll have something beautiful.

2. Commit to being okay with it not being perfect.

Start small. Know that it won't be comfortable. Others feel it, too. It's okay.

3. Action builds confidence and momentum.

It's science. ;)

My wife creates pottery from scratch. It's a messy process. Put the clay on the wheel, add water, mash it, shape it, and do it again. That process happens over and over.

Sometimes, the clay breaks, and you have to start over. Once you've iterated many times, it sits on a shelf and dries. Then you put it in an oven a billion degrees. Then you glaze it. Then, it sits on a shelf. It’s a process of imperfection.

Seeing others' clay cups looking all perfect and then looking at our pile of clay on the wheel... no wonder we overthink.

We have to go through the beautiful, messy process of CREATING.

I believe that we're created to create. Your job? Follow your curiosities and create something.

Building requires skills. Creating requires skills. We must complete developing what's necessary to get us what we want.

Freedom is on the other side of embracing the messiness of creating.

1. Let go.

- of control (in reality, we don't control much).
- find comfort in the unknown.
- detach from the outcome.
- of what others think.

2. Set the right expectations.

- all "clay cups" start messy. Yours will be also.
- nobody starts with a finished product.
- everybody starts at 0.
- messy IS the process.

3. Value failure.

- you can't have achievement without failure.
- being in the arena > being in the stands
- failure is good for the ego.
- grow mindset > fixed mindset.

4. Desire feedback loops.

- failure is a feedback loop of what to try next.
- feedback loops are necessary for development.
- feedback is data on what's working (or not) in today’s environment.

5. Excellence and failure.

- excellence is a byproduct of iteration.
- iteration needs a starting point of action.
- everything new starts small.

6. Done is better than perfect.

- "done" is a process.
- start with an idea.
- then start with bullet points.
- then start with a small test.
- then adjust, adapt, and go again.

You have a uniqueness that the world needs. Not developing and cultivating that skill and gift will leave a space no one else can fill.

“Give what you have. To someone, it may be better than you dare to think.” —Henry Wadsworth.

“The stupidest possible creative act is still a creative act,” —Clay Shirky.

"The world is changing at such a rapid rate that it’s turning us all into amateurs. The best way to flourish is to retain an amateur’s spirit and embrace uncertainty and the unknown." - Austin Kleon.

This email will be the first of many as I explore this topic more deeply. I’m following my curiosity.

If it hits for you, please let me know below and share this with someone you think will benefit. I'd appreciate it.

Chris