Are you overthinking?

Are you overthinking?

Welcome to the Self-Performance-Strategies (S-P-S) Newsletter 
Estimated read time 3-minutes:

“We are dying from overthinking. We are slowly killing ourselves by thinking about everything. Think. Think. Think. You can never trust the human mind anyway. It's a death trap.”

― Anthony Hopkins

You often overthink the next step.

I was no different.

I wanted to be a coach for over a decade.

And for years I did everything but take action on this.

I thought I needed coaching certificates.

I thought I needed a massive online following.

I thought I needed more corporate experience.

But in reality.

I just needed to start.

In 2016 I decided to leave a 13-year career of managing teams in retail sales.

I left with the idea of becoming a performance coach.

Why?

I found it very rewarding to help people succeed.

And I wanted to do that full-time.

Also, a lot of the team I was managing called me 'coach.'

I liked that.

So I jumped right into being a coach.

Within two years I had made millions helping millions of people.

Wait…

Oh, that’s right.

That didn’t happen.

I overthought the whole process and got a corporate leadership job.

I posted weekly on Youtube to build a following.

I purchased several “how to be a coach” programs.

By the end of 2019 I had over 200 Youtube videos posted.

I had around 1k followers on there.

I had been promoted at least three times in my corporate role.

But I still hadn’t asked anyone if they needed coaching.

Then, in 2020 while we were all working from home, I started posting on Twitter.

In April 2020 I had 75 followers.

I now have 65k+

Which is great.

But had I learned anything?

Well it took me until late spring 2021 to finally ask my followers.

Does anyone need coaching?

A couple of people said yes.

Now just over a year later I have full-time online coaching income.

I overthought the whole process from 2016 to 2021

I had hidden behind content.

I had hidden behind mini-courses.

I had hidden behind email sequences.

I had hidden behind follower numbers and likes.

I had hidden behind posting on all the social media platforms.

Great story Steve but what are you trying to tell me?

I am telling you to stop overthinking your life.

And go to the source of what you want.

If you want to start a new project, start it.

If you want to write a book, start writing one.

If you want to coach people, start coaching people.

If you want to sell a service, start offering it to people.

If you want to spend more time with your family, do it.

If you want to make more money, focus on what makes you money.

As Nike famously says: JUST DO IT.

Your life will progress at a faster pace when you do.

Trust me, you don’t need the 10 steps you think you need to do first.

You need to do what it is you want to do.

Why do we overthink shit?

After reading a number of behavioural psychology and economics books, I think it comes down to the two ways our mind functions when completing tasks.

Our mind uses explicit and implicit monitoring.

A beginner will use much more conscious or explicit monitoring as they are learning; trying to focus, and trying to remember.

An expert has put in the reps and gotten to the point where there is a switch to the unconscious or implicit mind.

Basically…

Beginners overthink, over-plan, and over-prepare.

Experts just do it.

Now, I am no scientist but this makes perfect sense.

Anytime you are starting something new you overthink it.

When you have done something 5 times, 10 times, or 100 times, you get that shit done.

The only way to build those reps is to take action.

How do you stop overthinking?

I am glad you asked.

There are many dangers of overthinking.

Thinking too much about things isn’t just stupid.

It can take a serious toll on your progress.

Cause frustration, overwhelm, unneeded stress, or lead to unhealthy coping strategies.

If you want to grow in life and improve your business you must put an end to it.

You have to stop over-planning and second-guessing your next moves.

With consistent practice you will overcome your overthinking patterns.

Here are the 6 best ways to do that:

Become aware:

Awareness is the first step to end overthinking.

Start paying attention to the thoughts that pop into your head.

When you notice you’re overcooking your next moves or you are making excuses in your mind.

Acknowledge those thoughts and let them go.

Challenge your thoughts:

Trust me it’s easy to think your thoughts are rational.

But before you conclude that doing 10 other things 1st is the smart move.

Ask yourself why.

99.99% of the time it will be some bullsh*t excuse that is protecting your ego from being hurt.

Focus on active problem-solving:

Overthinking your next steps isn’t helpful.

But looking for solutions is.

Instead of asking what you need to do and creating a huge to-do list.

Ask yourself your desired result and work backwards using the fewest steps.

Schedule Time For Reflection:

Stewing on your next steps isn’t productive, but reflection is helpful.

Reflecting on why you are overthinking is a useful exercise.

Take 20 minutes and write everything you are overthinking.

Pinpoint the reasons why you're not taking action.

Practice letting go:

It’s impossible to overthink and live in the present.

Commit to becoming more aware of the here and now.

Spend time letting go of your overthinking thoughts.

Just like any other skill this takes practice.

But over time it will decrease overthinking.

Take action:

Telling yourself to stop overthinking can backfire.

The more you avoid thoughts from entering your brain, the more likely they will keep popping up.

Taking action is the best way to quiet the mind.

When you’re busy creating you don’t have time to overthink.

Conclusion:

Overthinking slowed me down and looking back now I can laugh at it all.

I set my destination and then asked my GPS system to stop off at every village and town on the way to the city of my dreams.

A journey that could have taken 1 year took 5 because I got in my own way.

To recap, here are the 6 best ways to defeat overthinking:

• Become aware

• Challenge your thoughts

• Focus on active problem-solving

• Schedule time for reflection

• Practice letting go

• Take action

Use these tools to get done in 1 year what others take 5 to do.

I hope you will reduce your overthinking.

Big love.

Make it a great one,

Stephen