Overthinkers Guide to Making Shit Happen.

As an overthinker I have a ton of ideas. Business ideas, content ideas, project ideas, speaking ideas, course ideas, ideas, ideas.

It’s pretty much never ending.

And most often the ideas that come into my head are great ideas (at least I think they are). I go from a single spark of a idea to having an entire game plan, with specifics, deadlines, visuals and the works. It pretty much becomes a huge success… in my head.

But once the game plan is done… something happens.

Rather than implementing and bringing the idea onto paper, I used to have a habit of keeping it in my head and overthinking about the entire thing. The pros, the cons, the what-ifs, the maybes, the ah-ha’s. All of it. You know, the never ending rabbit hole you go down that makes absolutely no sense. When you realize you have been thinking about this damn grand idea for an entire week and nothing to show for? Yeah, I know you’ve been there, we all have.

As an overthinker, I know the the thoughts and stories that come up when putting your ideas to the world. They can range from seeing the project as super successfull, which often leaves you feeling inspired to start, to seeing the project as a disaster, which can be paralyzing and the idea never leaves your mind.

Here is something to remember, you get to create your own story. Both of those examples are simply a story I am telling myself. The anxiety, the fear, the hesitation when starting a project most likely comes from telling yourself a story that the project will fail or something negative happens. Well, what if you simply changed the story?

You are creating and making up the story anyway, so why not make it a good one?

If you have a hard time creating a positive story or outcome for your idea, there is some underlying root cause. Get curious as to what it’s about. Because the only difference between the people who are out there creating projects to fruition, building and creating success is the story they are telling themselves.

Tell a different story, create a different outcome.

To all the overthinkers out there, get out of your head and on your way, the world needs you more than ever.

So, what steps can an overthinker do when they have an idea they ACTUALLY want to implement?

Here is what I do.

1. Realize you are overthinking… This might sound like a “duh”, I know. However, this step is cruicial and it will require a lot of self-awareness. You can even tell yourself outloud or tell someone — “Hey I am overthinking”. Saying it outloud will get you out of your head and into the present moment.
2. Once I’m aware I am over thinking, I like to go for a walk, get outside or get my thoughts onto paper and do a massive brain dump (you can also do this talking with someone/brainstorming).
3. The next step is to just DO SOMETHING. To simply start the project/idea you have in your head at the most basic and simple task. If you didn’t do a brain dump in step #2, start doing your brain dump. Get your thoughts onto paper on where you can start (only spend 10–15 minutes doing this!!!) and then start.
4. This next step requires you to be human. Know the initial starting place is going to suck. You will not be perfect. Which is in fact the perfect place to start. It will most likely feel awkward, sound wrong, look wrong and all you have to do is keep going. There are three phases to learning — awkward, mechanical, natural — so allow yourself to be akward when first starting out. For example, if your first step is to write an article, just start writing with zero-judgement. Know that the act of writing is more valuable than the final product. Or if your first step is to record a video, push record and just start talking, taking everything that is in your head and getting it out into the world. Valuing the act of getting into action is more important than the final product, with practice you will refine and improve your abilities, I promise.

There is no quick fix to overthinking, but with these steps you can get the ball rolling. The key here is to consistently checkin with yourself and make sure you are taking action. It is good to think about what you are doing, and make sure you are doing the doing.

XOXO,

CK