Overthinking hinders many opportunities.
Connor Delaney’s comic over at Drawing Board depicts it perfectly.
In the comic, many hypothetical situations occur in a never ending layered thinking sequence.
A guy is sitting inside a subway train. All of a sudden, a girl sits next to him. Or does she? Do either of the two want to talk to one another? Or is silence better?
Instead of overthinking it, there are three contrasting solutions towards taking action:
1. Expect the best outcome. Everyone is a friend. That girl/guy wants you to talk to her/him. Your idea will create positive change. You will lose those 10 pounds within a month.
2. Expect the worst outcome. Everyone will laugh at you. The girl/guy will think you’re a waste of space. Your idea will ultimately fail. You won’t lose any weight no matter what you do.
(Therefore, you’re forcing your brain to actually do it to prove that imaginary idea wrong. Then you realize it’s never as bad as you think it’ll be.)
3. Expect no outcome. Let things happen and control your own actions. Let people decide for themselves. Create your idea and see what happens. See what happens when you exercise. (When using this method, I imagine a blank canvas or an empty mirror.)
Figure out which one works best for you and use that one.