The following blog posts were written on my original blog over five years ago. This article is part of my 37 Life Lessons From My Youth Series. Note: I’ve matured a lot since then and my “voice” has changed since. Enjoy.
Are you doomed to forever be a deep thinker?
Maybe, but being a deep thinker doesn’t mean you can’t also be a full-time ass-kicker.
I’ve always been a deep thinker.
Even now, my mind can drift off miles away from where I stand.
Is there something wrong with me?
No.
I’m sure some of you are the same way.
And although I like to ponder ideas, questions and answers.
What I like more is to make shit happen. And that’s the only thing that matters.
I’m here to show you the do’s and don’ts:
Do:
Have a vision. With all that thinking, you’ve eventually stumbled onto the idea of what you want.
Instead of wanting more and accumulating possessions, you want to be more and accomplish grander things in life.
You know who you want to be, how you want to live, and the people you want to be surrounded by.
Plot a path to achieve that vision. Now think about how to get to where you want to be.
Focus all that thinking into accomplishing one thing at a time.
Plot your path to follow.
Find the truth. You’ll come to realize that some things work and some things don’t.
Based on your experience you can think and come to your own conclusions, despite what others say.
The truth also matters because you want to make sure that what you want, is really what you want.
Don’t:
Don’t overthink the wrong way. A negative mindset leads to anxiety. That’s not a useful way to use your power of thought.
Instead of thinking about your vision, you’re stuck thinking about stupid shit like “is she cheating on me?” or “why don’t they like me?” or “why do bad things happen to me?”.
If it’s not pertinent to your vision, then it shouldn’t be pertinent to you.
Don’t overthink too much at once. Either your focus is spread so thin it’s non-existent or you’re deviating too far from the fundamentals.
Deviating from the fundamentals is normal when you’re trying to figure out how to make something work. In time you’ll realize what you’re doing right or wrong (and find the truth).
But if your focus is on too many things, you’ll be too overwhelmed to even realize what doesn’t work. Much less, what does.
Don’t stay still doing nothing. Doing is the most important part.
A loaded gun can’t hit it’s mark if you don’t pull the trigger.
Here are the tools you need to get rid of negative overthinking and become a doer:
A Surplus Mindset: The belief that there is always opportunity to have more of what you want.
Even better, the belief that you already have the ability to create that opportunity.
Money: You have freedom from worry when you have money. When you have enough money to keep you from worrying about what could happen, you only have to worry about the vision.
Self-Discipline: To go from being a dreamer to an achiever, you must first become a doer. It takes self-discipline to become a doer.
What I used to do to increase self-discipline is this:
The moment I thought of something I should do, I would immediately get on my feet, and just do it.
Take thinking out of the equation, just long enough to take action.
Live like this for a while and your discipline will grow.
Here are some actions to take that will transform you from just a deep thinker, to an ass-kicker
Reveal your voice. Not to the people around you, they’re too average to care or listen. But to people beyond daily life. Which leads us into the next point –
Start a blog, a youtube channel, or a podcast. You have a lot of content in your head. And if you think about it so much it’s because you like it.
Publish it. Other people will find it and like it too.
Work towards your vision. Everyday do something that gets you closer to it. Focus your deep thinking into what can I do to get me closer to my vision.
Don’t be surprised if it’s in the forefront of your mind all day.
What’s important is that you take action and follow the plan you’ve plotted out.
What if I don’t know how to get where I want to be?
Start walking towards it.
If you don’t have a definite plan of approach, then just walk towards it any way you know how.
As you get closer, the path will get clearer.
That’s called learning and ‘figuring it out’.
Then study it. Then plot some more.
You’ll get the hang of it.
But you have to take that first step.
Do you think the world’s first surgeon knew what the hell he was doing? Hell no.
But we figured that shit out. Now we open up bodies to put in implants for funsies.
So pick a direction, start walking and stick to it. You’ll figure it all out.
