How Overthinking is Keeping you from Achieving your Dreams

Overthinking is the death bed of your future.

I know I sound dramatic, but hear me out: when you can’t stop overthinking everything, from what to eat for lunch to what is the next step in your career, you are allowing your brain to get tired, and actually straining any energy you have instead of using it to act on your decision.

It took me seven months to start writing the novel I am working on right now. Considering that, in the end, it took me just a week to plan it, I wasted a ton of time, when I could’ve just gone for it, and maybe even finish it in those seven months.

Why did it take me so long? Well, I did not consider myself a good writer, I was planning on making it a personal challenge and write it in my second language to see how it went, and when I thought “Okay, it’s time to start” I started questioning my actions.

I went from feeling motivated to feeling defeated, and I dropped the ball and left it on the ground for a while. All because I was overthinking.

I’ve been an overthinker my whole life, and the only thing overthinking has ever done for me is to fill me with pure fear: what if it doesn’t work? What if I am not good enough? What if things go wrong?

When we allow our brain to think about something longer than we should, we are procrastinating on taking action. And when you don’t take action, you are giving up on achieving your dreams, and start feeling more and more unmotivated, and you may also start thinking less of yourself.

Every decision requires some kind of thinking beforehand, but if you stop at the thinking part, and never get to the doing part, you will never be able to go where you want to go, to create what you want to create, and you will end up wasting your time.

I guess you are now wondering how you can stop overthinking and if I am going to give you advice on it.

Well, my advice is to just start doing.

Once you start taking action, your brain will follow. I know it’s hard, I know that our thoughts can be paralyzing. That’s why I want you to focus on one little step. You want to write a book? Think about the beginning and the ending. You want to learn a new language? Start with learning the most basic words, like “hi” or “how are you”. You want to learn how to bake? Get a boxed cake mix and start from there.

Find the simplest, quickest and easiest way to move towards your goal, and take action.

Still struggling? Use the “5 seconds rules” by Mel Robbins: count down from 5, and at 1 take action.

After you’ve done that, if you want to set yourself up for success, give yourself a deadline. Nonetheless, never forget that you are human, and as a earthly creature you need rest, food, and water, and you are allowed to make mistakes. Don’t let a seatback stops you from moving forward.

You got this, be kind to yourself, and keep on moving.