You’re In Your Own Way - Stop Thinking And Keep Going

Most of the problems we face during the pursuit of a goal come from our tendency to overthink.

This is assuming we even get to the point of action, as thinking alone can be enough to stop us from taking action to begin with.

We get caught up in lists of pros and cons, debating which route is best, and catastrophising the possibilities of every hard decision in life. But all this does is create a denial of reality, which is that we simply do not, and will never know.

What we fail to realise is that if a decision is hard enough to make that it leads you to fetch a pen and paper and brainstorm its outcomes, then it’s already a decision that is unlikely to be made through thought alone, as the only way forward is to act.

What we fail to see is that whichever path we take, we leave a path undiscovered, and a path undiscovered will inevitably lead to regret. This regret alone does not suggest that either path may have been correct or incorrect. It’s simply a consequence choice.

You can’t do it all, so sacrifices have to be made. But when you choose one way or another, it instantaneously creates a world of hypotheses. What if this, what if that. But it’s all imagination.

What we have to do is accept. Accept the unknown, accept that action is the only way forward, and never let the curiosity from the undiscovered path lead you astray from the path we choose.

This is especially true for thoughts that arise from difficulty. When the chosen path gets bumpy, the unchosen path becomes all the more tempting. 

Naturally, when challenges arise, new information is gained. But this information only adds to the list of cons. You could already imagine all the pros from each path, but most cons can only be seen when actually trekking them.

So the further down the path you go, the worse your decision looks, and the better the undiscovered path looks. But again, this is all imagination, as the undiscovered path also comes with its own set of challenges and its own set of cons, and for all you know, they could be twice as bad as the ones you’re currently facing.

In short, thought it pointless. Any thought past the decision-making is a distraction. Once that decision is made, you have to do your very best not to get caught up in the paralysis of thought, especially the ones that come on the back end of friction.

You made this choice, and it was the best choice you could have made with the information you had. Every thought following should be ignored.

What you need to remember is that every path is difficult, and every goal worth chasing inevitably gets hard enough to cause a debate of whether you’ve made the right choice. It’s your job not to let these thoughts lead you astray.

When a journey gets hard, every other journey looks better, but please remember that this is merely an illusion.

Stop thinking, keep going.