One of the things that made me really good at my job as a civil engineering project manager was planning. I looked at every scenario, planned out all the possible things that could go wrong and then worked to make sure that they didn’t happen. I thought everything through, constantly running through scenarios in my head. It was pointed out to me by a coach that I worked with that while this might be a great way to approach work, it wasn’t a great way to live your life!!

Constant questioning and rumination lead to procrastination. The continuous planning, trying to control the outcome, paralysis by analysis, will bring you back to where you started. You will feel stuck, despite having invested a considerable amount of mental energy analysing the situation.

Constantly looking at all the options will, ironically, stop you from taking any of the options because you will mentally paralyse yourself into inaction. In particular, looking at all the things that can go wrong is incredibly self-defeating.

 In many ways, overthinking is just your ego’s way of keeping you in a safe space. It may not be the space that you want to be in, but it’s familiar. That’s why people stay in the same job forever, despite the urge to do something else with their lives.

What I found helpful in moving beyond overthinking was talking to someone, verbalising my thoughts, receiving feedback, and putting together a plan of action. Because action happens when you take the step, not in the endless mental rehearsals.

So, give up the need to figure it all out and give me a call.  I’m pretty sure that I can help you move beyond the stuckness and overthinking, and help you create a life you can be proud of …………