Hi Groovers. I apologise for being a little scarce lately but the rest of my life (the bit I get paid for) has been somewhat chaotic for the last eight weeks. I will do as many corporate gigs in the last three months of this year, as I did in the first nine! It’s a good ‘problem’ to have and I love it but one of the by-products of my busy life right now is sleep deprivation and limited blogging time. And the attention span of a three year-old (at times). I’m writing this at ten o’clock Wednesday night and I’ve been up since three forty five this morning. I had to be in Sydney for an eight thirty meeting and then get back to Melbourne for lunch with Johnny. You know how he gets when he misses out on lunch with me. Tonight I went to a premiere of a movie (more of a documentary really) called Wheel of Life. I don’t normally do premieres (okay never) but I’m in the film (doco) so I thought I best show my slightly exhausted, rapidly-aging, stubbly face. It’s a personal development, change-your-thinking-life-and-reality type doco with some really amazing educators, thinkers and change-specialists in it.
And me.
Gotta say, I’m more than a little excited about bed tonight.
Anyway, on with today’s post.
So the Over-Thinker has rated a few mentions here at me-dot-com but she has never had her own feature, so today is that day….
As a rule, thinking is a good thing and while some people don’t do it enough (more often men), some do it way too much; the Over-Thinker (more often women). Don’t yell at me, I’m just reporting the facts. Having said that, both genders can fall into either category but today we’re going to chat about the one who does too much.
Some people think themselves into stagnation, frustration, exhaustion, anxiety and even illness. They have an aptitude for making the simple, complex, the easy, hard, the minor issue, a major drama and the pain-less, pain-ful. They are adept at snatching defeat from the jaws of victory and also at wasting their time and talent through age-old art of over-analysing everything and everyone; analysis paralysis. They are experts at misinterpreting what people are saying and if there is a way to have their feelings hurt, they’ll find it. Even go looking for it. Not only do they have a history of almost doing things but more often than not they are obsessive, compulsive with perfectionistic tendencies. They worry too much. About nearly everything. They are people pleasers who want change (different) but the change process scares them. They don’t need other people to sabotage their dreams or goals, they can do that all by themselves. They are highly skilled in the art of self-sabotage and if anyone will get in their way, it’s them. They are… the Over-Thinker.
So, if you identify with any of the above, then you probably inhabit the cerebral landscape somewhere between casual Over-Thinker and chronic Over-Thinker. Here’s a few tips to help you deal with your Over-Thinking-Ness (a word). (Now).
1. Stop waiting for perfection (perfect timing, perfect conditions) before you do what you know you should have done long ago. Being ambitious is great but aiming for perfection is unrealistic, impractical and debilitating. Aim for constant improvement and consciously and methodically work towards positive change where you need it most.
2. Don’t assume. Don’t act on hunches, act on facts.
3. Be more proactive; do stuff! Get out of the theory and into the practical. Now! Do at least one thing each day every day that will get you closer to where you want to be. Even if it scares you. Especially if it scares you. To steal someone else’s book title, “Feel the Fear and Do it Anyway.” Don’t let fear hijack your potential or run your life (into the ground).
4. Ask yourself the right type of questions; the ones which will put you (mentally) in a positive, practical, productive and solution-focused head space. Acknowledge the problem but be all about the solution. Consciously find the good.
5. Have a sounding board (life coach, friend, mentor, relative); someone who will provide you with relevant, meaningful, specific, unemotional feedback – you can’t be objective about you. Make sure it’s someone who will tell you what you need to hear, not what you want to hear.
6. In order to consistently and consciously move from mediocre to amazing, create a plan and totally commit to it. Don’t give yourself an escape clause. Identify and commit to your non-negotiable behaviours.
7. Stop rationalising, justifying and explaining what you’re not doing. Try honesty, it’s quite effective. And liberating.
8. Keep a Success Diary (wanky name but great concept). Journaling your thoughts, decisions, behaviours and results is a great way to keep perspective, stay focused and motivated and to de-emotionalise the change process. It’s also a good way for you to learn what works – for you.
9. Get out of your thoughts. Eckhart Tolle talks about finding that very quiet, relaxing and beautiful space beyond our thoughts. The place where peace, calm, joy and freedom live. This is something which needs to be worked on but with practice you’ll be able to do it almost anywhere at any time. We don’t know how hard it is to stop thinking until we try. And the irony is that moving beyond our thoughts is not really about trying but about letting go. Of the chaos. The mind can be an exhausting place and sometimes we need a holiday from it. If you struggle with this concept, start by losing yourself in some of your favourite music. Step out of your mind and into the music; away from the cerebral and into the creative. The spiritual. The non-thinker. If you’re interested in exploring and understanding this concept more, check out Eckhart Tolle’s book the Power of Now. It’s kind of heavy going (possibly weird depending on where you’re at) but well worth it if you can persevere and digest his words thoughtfully.
10. I’m not giving you a number ten. This one is for you to fill out. I want you tell the rest of us what the tenth tip should be. And to the person who provides me with the best piece of advice (as judged by me), I will send (okay, Johnny will send) you a signed copy of my book Fattitude (anywhere in the world). I will also take your tip and re-publish this article with your contribution and an acknowledgement to you. So here’s your chance to be a published author. Of sorts. If you were finishing this article how would you finish it? Just leave your tip by clicking on the comment thingy.
And here’s our winning entry from Vicki Gottliebsen…
10. With all the thoughts traveling around your head, some of them should be evicted, others are stuck and are too scared to come out. See your brain’s thoughts as one massive Apartment Block. Let’s look at Level 2 of your Apartment Block … as you walk down the corridor, you hear the ol’ crazy woman behind Apt 22 “you should have done it this way stuuupid…”. Further down is the chatterbox in Apt 28 who always has her door open and jumps out and distracts you, just as you’re trying to get somewhere. At the end of the corridor is Mr Gotnothingbettertodo who without fail stops you dead in your tracks “if you only saw how silly you looked you’ve never do that again!”. These trouble-making tenants are in fact those thoughts that interupt your driving forces and freeze you with guilt, anxiety and reasons to keep us still. These tenants are really easy to spot, haven’t paid rent in years, are up to no good and are causing trouble to all the other (good) tenants. These tenants must be evicted – effective immediately! Start right now – select the most disturbing tenant you know is doing you no good and hand deliver your notice NOW! Get in that elevator, press the button to the floor that you know you keep avoiding.. and march to their door with confidence and hand deliver that notice. If they don’t co-operate, grab them by the ankles and toss them out. These tenants have been settled for a long time and know how to persuade you – so don’t give in! Remember, you have other fantastic tenants there that will be right by your side to support you in this mass evacuation. This will make room for new, inspirational tenants. Make this Apartment Block your own – bring it back to life, create activities for your community, put in groovy carpet, bring in leafy plants, put in a bar upstairs with 24/7 feel good music (next to the brain spa and indoor pool) – even renovate a complete level and turn it into a brain haven where your tenants can go to put their feet up and recuperate. It’s your Apartment Block – the possibilities are endless!
Thanks Vicki!
If you’re not sure how to leave a comment click here.
Also feel free to leave a (general) comment or just say G’day!
Ciao x
Love this article? Sign up for my FREE Email Newsletter today to receive more articles like this, and my FREE Ebook!
Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.
{ 85 comments… read them below or add one }
10. Re-read tips 1 to 9 until they sink in, and then act upon them !
{{HUG}}
Tina
Labas, Craig.
10. What if it is your last day, hour, minute. Would you be doing same this very moment? Say it honestly, loudly to the mirror and be guided by your words.
Have amazing day,
Saulius
With all the thoughts traveling around your head, some of them should be evicted, others are stuck and are too scared to come out. See your brain's thoughts as one massive Apartment Block. Let's look at Level 2 of your Apartment Block … as you walk down the corridor, you hear the ol' crazy woman behind Apt 22 "you should have done it this way stuuupid…". Further down is the chatterbox in Apt 28 who always has her door open & jumps out and distracts you, just as you're trying to get somewhere. At the end of the corridor is Mr Gotnothingbettertodo who without fail stops you dead in your tracks "if you only saw how silly you looked you've never do that again!". These trouble-making tenants are in fact those thoughts that interupt your driving forces and freeze you with guilt, anxiety and reasons to keep us still. These tenants are really easy to spot, haven't paid rent in years, are up to no good and are causing trouble to all the other (good) tenants. These tenants must be evicted – effective immediately! Start right now – select the most disturbing tenant you know is doing you no good & hand deliver your notice NOW! Get in that elevator, press the button to the floor that you know you keep avoiding.. and march to their door with confidence and hand deliver that notice. If they don't co-operate, grab them by the ankles and toss them out. These tenants have been settled for a long time and know how to persuade you – so don't give in! Remember, you have other fantastic tenants there that will be right by your side to support you in this mass evacuation. This will make room for new, inspirational tenants. Make this Apartment Block your own – bring it back to life, create activities for your community, put in groovy carpet, bring in leafy plants, put in a bar upstairs with 24/7 feel good music (next to the brain spa & indoor pool) – even renovate a complete level and turn it into a brain haven where your tenants can go to put their feet up and recuperate. It's your Apartment Block – the possibilities are endless!
Let go and have some fun. Life is about living, breathing, and most of all joy in everything and in everyday, including yourself. If you’re constantly holding on, overanalyzing, and finding ways to feel victimized and/or blame in the world you miss the beauty and individuality that is yourself. Honor the beauty and perfection, even if you have always defined it as imperfection, of all of your characteristics. Overthinking also causes you to run out of time to stop and “smell the roses,” to enjoy all the beautiful things in the world. Remember everything we see is through our lenses, through our perspective, not someone elses. So why not redefine your perspective through lenses that are a progressively more and more positive.
Hi Craig,
Wow, only slightly exhausted…I am exhausted just reading it..ok I was exhausted before reading it and haven’t been doing nearly as much as you. You take care we don’t want you sick! So a movie star too??? Cool!
In my journey over this year I have done the over thinking a bit but I feel I am getting it under control and more just doing now. I have decided I can’t be bothered thinking too much about things I can’t change and only concentrate on what I can.
I am rather tired and after a few worrying issues with my kids over the last few weeks and having been stressed as a result, I can’t actually think of a number 10…good luck with the search for it.
I hope you can get some good sleep soon and that you can have a rest from “flitting” around the country to recharge your batteries!
Were you happy with the film? Do you have a big part?
Hugs
Michelle xx
10. Don’t just look at Tips 1-9.
Kat
Hello Craig,
Well yes I'm an over thinker, (worry wart) I guess you could say!
I've realised that I have wasted what I have got, held onto to crap for to long…
Not sure what the no.(10) should be but the other day reality hit me in a big way with my current situation. I have been afraid of the pain & afraid of hurt, but I threw myself into these emotions & had tears streaming down my face in public (which I never do), & allowed myself to fully experience the sadness. I now know what pain is, I no what hurt is like, & I can now say that ok, I have experienced those emotions, I recognise those emotions so now I can detach myself from those emotions.
Now that I've detached myself from these emotions it's really given me a clearer picture of what I have always wanted to do to make a better life & actually do it not just think about it.
I even made a few calls yesterday to start my better life & move on from this one, it's going to be a huge change for me & my daughter but I no it's best for both of us, it's going to be hard work, lot's of people telling me what I should & should'nt do, but in the end I'm just going to listen to me & believe in me for a change…
Thank you for yet again a wonderful article Craig…
SC x
Hey Craig ! My brain works better at 8am than at 1am so I’d like to rephrase my suggestion:
10. Waddaya doin still sittin here readin ??? Get off ya fat arse and do sumthin !!!!!
{{HUG}}
Tina
10. Don’t Think…DO!
10. Work on building self-confidence. Believe in yourself and your ability to create the amazing life you keep thinking about. Nine times out of ten it’s you stopping yourself from achieving things, not the rest of the world. Stop focusing on reasons why ‘it’ wont work out, or why you ‘can’t'- how will you know if you don’t try? And if you try, what is the worst that can happen? There’s no such thing as failure- take it as an opportunity for learning more about you. Try again. Exhaust all avenues.
Tip number 10: learn to laugh at yourself
Linda
10. Don't be afraid to go backwards. Going backwards doesn't mean you have to give up. It often gives you the breathing space to regroup and achieve more of your goals on the next trip forward. Life's experiences are not all made up of positives and we lose sight of the fact that life's ups & downs and disappointments are the very things that can motivate us to make changes that will enhance that one precious life we have. So don't give up, get moving and be the best 'you' that 'you' can be.
Tip number 10 – Make a conscious decision to enjoy the experience and you will. This may be often or it may be for one big scary – thing/leap/decision. If you decide to enjoy the experience ‘you will’ and that makes it easier to move on with your plans not to mention the sense of achievement and positive buzz from ‘doing’ and ‘enjoying’.
Here’s my humble contribution:
10) Stop being your own harshest critic and embrace that mistakes made aren’t the end of the world, they are learning opportunities.
Cheers
10. Remember the only thing that you control and that controls you is…..(drum roll)…..YOU!!!
What you have the power to change are your reactions and your direct actions.
You can spend time thinking about it. Or you can….. as a very well know sporting merchandise company once (or may a few more times) put it…just do it.
Your call. Good luck
Nice work Tina. Both times. ( )
Here is my No. 10.
Believe in yourself. Ask yourself the question “If I knew the answer, what would it be”? We all know our answers, we just need to listen to ourselves.
Dianne
10) Hang out with inspiring non-thinkers!
Hugs from Norway!
Mia
Tip 10. To get out of your thinking – Ask someone else how their day is.
Hi Craig
Yes the overthinker. Sometimes I feel that my mind has been & sometimes is running itself on autopilot and the off switch has been non existant.
However now that I am more focused on my goals this is happening less & less I think?
Anyway back to the tenth tip. Replace your current thoughts to the thoughts that you desire by a) cutting out pictures/words etc. of all the things you want to materialize in your life, placing them in a large book or on a board and looking at them & thinking about them regularly throughout the day and b)reading books on people who have done what you want to do, biographies etc.
As always thanks for another great article.
Anne
As a card carrying “over-thinker”, my number 10 tip would be a slightly different version of tip number 1.
Try not to be seduced into starting again tomorrow (AGAIN) because today you didn’t happen managed to implement your plan perfectly. Creating a better version of yourself is an ongoing process – redirect your over-thinking energy into doing the right things MOST of the time, without wasting effort worrying about the things you didn’t do.
Have a great non-perfect day everyone!
Emma
Labas Saulius – love your mind and your passion…
Hi Vicki G – nice metaphor… I love a good story – thanks ( )
Nice advice Serena… ( )
Hi Michelle – yeah, the film was good.. I played a little part and it seemed to go over well.
Cheers ( )
Hello SC – wow, who’s growing up then? Remember fear can either paralyse you or teach you.
Good for you.
x
GO Melanie! ( )
Hi Linda J – you mean fun?
Good idea.
( )
Thanks Elizabeth p-s… nice thoughts
( )
Thanks Justme… or should I say Justyou?
( )
I think you’re right Dianne; we usually know…
( )
Funny Mia – but insightful…
( )
Simple but effective Megan.. ( )
Good work card-carrying Emma…
Made me laugh.
( )
Number 10.
Stop blaming others for your past or present situation and stop lying to yourself and you will achieve success
Sue
10. Emulate someone you admire .. either real or imagined. Try to imagine how that person would act or behave in a certain situations, or what choices or decisions they would make. Sure, it will feel a bit like you’re playing a part for a while .. but soon enough those behaviours will actually becomes yours and YOU will be a person that someone else will want to copy! How awesome!
(For me, it’s that black belt karate instructor .. eg. What would Sensei Sue do in this situation?)
Cheers,
Sue
Hi Sue
Good advice..
( )
Hi Sensei Sue J….. nice work.
( )
Hi Craig,
Take your own advice and get some sleep silly, ok?
10. Live in day tight compartments. Like the old saying says “Don’t let the sun go down on an argument”, expand on that and don’t let the sun go down on any negative emotions. When the day is done, go to sleep believing that you did the best you could for the day and no amount of stressing will change what it is. Help yourself to wake up with the energy to tackle life with energy and enthusiasm in the morning. Overthinkers tend to carry the load of yesterday and the load of tomorrow on top of the load for the day. Don’t! This much load will make the strongest person tired and demotivated. Carpe Diem. Seize the day and make the most of it, but when it’s over, let it go!
Have a good day movie star Craig;-)
Overthinking is a curable disease!
Love your work!
Hugs,
Jo
No 10 tip:- Stop waiting for proof! Don't limit your success with "I'd do it, if I knew it could work " or "I've never done it before, so I can't do it now" kinda thoughts.
Try ABSOLUTE BELIEF instead. Walt Disney had no proof when he began, what eventually became, an enormous tribute to happiness & joy. Nelson Mandela had no proof apartheid would end, but his belief held on for 30 years.
So stop waiting for proof. Try action and faith and see what happens.
10. Be confident and fearless in your ability to make and intelligent decision, and then go make it!
In my opinion over-thinkers lack confidence in their ability, which leads to an overwhelming fear of making a wrong decision. It’s epidemic for some and infiltrates every aspect of their lives. It also leads to a lack of perspective.
10. Set aside 10 minutes per day to ruminate, mull over, obsess, over think and worry. Set an alarm and when the time is up the time is up! Any other time you start to overthink you can tell yourself now is not the time – I have scheduled time for this. Make sure it is not just before going to sleep as you may have trouble switching off.
So not a movie star… but thanks Jo.
Nice advice BTW ( )
Action and faith – nice Monica ( )
Thanks for sharing Lisa… ( )
Do you really do that Anon? Does it work? Interesting approach… ( )
Hi Craig,
Great post you have here! Here’s my little contribution to conclude your article.
Tip 10: Take the Ready-Fire-Aim approach.
Get Ready by setting a target and a plan so that you know where you want to go and how you’re going to get there. Don’t get too hung up on the plan though. Any plan is better than no plan.
Just Fire so that you get things going. Stop worrying about what you don’t know. Focus instead on what you already know, even if they don’t add up to much because you never know what you can achieve with what you already know until you take actions. I can’t emphasise enough how important it is to simply get things started. Any action is better than no action.
Take sharper Aim along the way by honing your skills and tweaking your strategies to enhance your chance of hitting the bull’s eye. There’s always a chance to rectify what’s imperfect. But you have to first get things going in order to find out what’s imperfect.
And to round it up, I’d like to borrow two quotes from two great people.
“You don’t have to get it right, you just have to get it going!” – Mike Litman
“You don’t have to be great to get started, but you have to get started to be great.” – Les Brown
They got me to get off my arse and started working to set up my personal development blog. Boy am I glad that I just do it!
Cheers~
Mark
10. Don’t stop yourself from achieving what you want from life by thinking of all the “what if’s”. Deal with obstacles if and when they happen. If people who have achieved success had worried about all the things that could go wrong they would have been too scared to even have a go.
Lynda
Always be “TRUE” to “YOU”. Don’t ignore how you feel and hope it goes away. The feelings are there for a reason so listen to your gut and your heart and you will be amazed at what you hear because that is the “TRUE YOU”.
Hi Mark
Nice quotes and great advice
Cheers
HI Anon – thanks for sharing about the true… us.
Cheers
Hi Van Sharma – makes sense to me.
Nice work
You’re welcome Anne – and thanks for you thoughts.. ( )
Hi Craig,
Thanks for another thought-provoking installment. Here’s a little lecture I give myself if I start to become Princess Sensitive It’s-all-about-me Worrywart:
10. Get up and get over yourself! You are one of 6.72 billion people in the world! There are far more important things to do than sit and stew about whether you inadvertently offended someone or whether someone inadvertently offended you or dwell on life’s misfortunes and excuses. If you have the time and energy to worry, then you have the time and energy to do something useful: call a friend who needs a laugh, go for a walk and smile at someone (maybe avoid muscular motivational speakers) or, if all else fails, clean the fridge – works every time!
Hugs
epiphanygirl
ps Please get some sleep. If you’ve forgotten about how important it is, you may want to read pages 28-30 of the RYL booklet – some guy wrote it …
Hmmm….. Im thinking….
tee hee
x
I recently came across your blog and have been reading along. I thought I would leave my first comment. I don’t know what to say except that I have enjoyed reading. Nice blog. I will keep visiting this blog very often.
Ruth
http://www.infrared-sauna-spot.info
Nice addition epiphanygirl.
Sleep?… over-rated
( )
Hi Ruth – nice to meet you.
Thanks for stopping by and well done on your debut comment – keep it up!
Your first Craig hug…( )
tip 10: Just do it!
cheers Kate
TIP 10
Are your boxes ticked or are you still in the same place? What if tomorrow was your last day? Begin doing, by doing you gather momentum which will propel towards you goals, dreams and passions. Don’t leave the earth with regrets or business you wished you had started but thought away.
10. Read medotcom everyday. Use it as your devotional to keep you laughing and thinking and in a space where you have the proof that all you need is you to change you.
Love your work Craig
Just like Nike say Kate… ( )
Hi Margie – good tips… thankyou
( )
Thanks Nina – love your love!
( )
Thinking too much before sleeping is really going to mess up your night, imagine those negative thoughts of bad events which may have taken place during the day…. Guess what! those unhelpful events may still be around tomorrow so wave them goodbye before sleep and think of more pleasant times , You must have some.
10. Take little steps and don’t over think them, I mean when you choose to go in a certain direction, take a little step toward it and do something to reach your goal of being the best person you can be, don’t play all the “what if’s” (what if this happens or that happens) in your mind because that may be too much for you to think about and therefore you end up doing nothing.
Luv your mind!!
10. Use your mind for more useful thinking. Part of the problem is that you mind is idling at the curb. Take it out of park and drive it once a day. You will be amazed at the ideas that your mind can create. Deep, focused thinking for just 10 minutes a day will help prevent all the over analyzing in your life.
When thinking and thinking and thinking and feeling frustrated and frustrated and frustrated at not getting anywhere, then ask:
What do I want?
Let this cut to the core of who you are. You can then go on to find out the ‘benefit’ in over thinking (usually what I don’t want to do, am scared of or whatever). This is important information too. Maybe you really don’t want to do something or it would be genuinely dangerous to do.
Sit with what you want and then know what the first step is.
Hi Craig,
Go beyond your thoughts and feelings and “JUST DO IT”
Cheryl
Get in touch with your gut. The over-thinker spends to much time listening to the ramblings of their brain and not enough time listening to the instinctive reactions of their gut. Your body signals you when you are on to something good and when you are headed in the wrong direction. When you are on the right track you will feel an energy that when in full bloom is often said to feel like “butterflies in your stomach”. It feels as if you ready to spring into action. When you are on the wrong track you will feel a clenching of your stomach muscles and your anus. That’s your body’s built in warning system. It is an innate protective measure. These signals are older than speech and are probably even older than self-awareness. They come from a time when you were a more simple life form that was instinctively tuned into your environment and the unseen energies of life. From now on, when you are considering an option stop listening to the voices in your head and tune in to the lower regions of your body. How does your gut feel about this idea?
Hi Craig,
So after reading the first 9 and being scared shitless with how accurate it was about me, I’ve been thinking (in true over-thinker style!) about what number 10 should be. What better time to make my first comment after lurking for so long. Here ’tis.
10. Do NOT beat yourself up when you slip! Nobody is perfect, no matter how much you would like to be. Do not overthink it! Accept that you have made a mistake and MOVE ON! Time spent dwelling on a mistake is time that could be better used to move forward toward your goals. Setbacks are just small speedhumps on the road to success. Don’t let them slow you down for too long.
Hello Craig,
10.Take a deep breath, I mean really breath!! and then DECIDE that you are the best person you can be right now and that you have all you need to face whatever comes down your way. And move on without looking back
)
(Some sun in a bright blue sky wouldn’t hurt for the scenry
Thanks for everything
Houda
Hi JJ34mur, Jenny, Thinkerjoe, Evan, Cheryl, Melissa, Scarlet and Houda… thanks for your contributions…. and if I missed anyone… thanks to you too!
( )
tip 10. …..take time out to taste the cheesecake. (thought that was a pretty obvious one)
10. Never, ever give up. You’re worth the effort.
I have spent most of this year working on my weight and am proud to say I am now 33kgs lighter than I was in January. At 170cms and still 96kgs, I have a long, long way to go to a healthy weight, but this journey has been less about eating better and walking more and a whole lot more about not becoming discouraged when I don’t get it right, not using a slip up as an excuse to go back to old, unhealthy habits that will lead to me dropping dead prematurely.
I have tried to lose weight so many times and have stopped trying because I couldn’t be perfect at it, couldn’t get it 100% right 100% of the time. What I have realised is that I don’t have to get it exactly right everyday, but when I stumble, I do have to get back up and keep trying, not lie right down in the pile of chocolate that I landed in and stay there till I have consumed it all.
I am no longer waiting for this diet journey to be over so I can ‘get back to normal’. Normal diets don’t include donuts for breakfast, a normal life isn;t sitting in a dent on the couch all night every night. Persistance and small changes are the key. I can’t expect everything to be perfect in 5 minutes. It’s going to take me as long to fix my head as it is to lose my fat.
I am still terrified that I’ll put the weight I have lost back on, but am working everyday on positive affirmations, believing in myself, giving myself credit for what I have achieved instead of kicking myself for what I didn’t do. I’m trying to make each day a little better than the last.
One small change everyday has lead me to being a very different person now to the fat sad girl I was almost a year ago, I wouldn’t have believed I could be this different. I couldn’t have made the change in one giant leap, but with a series of small changes, it was manageable and will be sustainable. Going back isn’t an option. Besides – I’ve thrown out all of my fat clothes, what would I wear?
Have a great day, thanks for another amazing article Craig.
Regards
Suzanne
Hello Craig
For tip N°10 I’d say:
- Take a deep breath, I mean really breath!!! and then DECIDE that you are the best berson you could be right now and that you have all it takes to face life…and then walk on!!
Big hugs from sunny casablanca
Hi Craig!
My number 10: Whenever you need a motivation booster visualize your goal. “See” yourself where you want to be in the future, like 1 or 2 years for now. You can pack that into short controlled day dreams. And make a photo with Photoshop showing yourself in your dream house, dream car, in the position you want to be, etc. Put it where you can see it all time.
This will help you getting your thoughts back on a higher level and free you from being trapped in the world of details. Most of the time you’ll be able to proceed with simple steps rather than complicated ones.
John W. Furst
E-Biz Booster Blog
Fantastic effort Suzanne. Keep up the good work. Go girl!
Hi Craig,
I stumbled across your site early this morning (ironically enough as I was overthinking my life). I would like to sincerely thank you for your insight. You obviusly have a world of knowledge. My tip for number ten is to get active (this always works for me). So whether it is skipping, running, weight training, dancing. Do anything to get your body active and your over active mind less active….I hope this helps. Have a fantastic, stress free day. Thanks again Craig.
As we are generalising about women, as the more obvious over thinkers…perhaps a woman’s perspective is valid. Women seem to be hormonally driven to be carers. We have a man in our lives and we start thinking for two. When we have a child and we not only grow another heart but we have to think for another soul , and on it goes. Somewhere in the mix we have forgotten that to look after others …or to think for others we must prioritize ourselves. Women have a problem placing themselves in the number one position in their lives. They put themselves way down on a list of priorities.
So number ten for me would be …be kind to yourself. Find some quiet time each day to tune into your body, relax and allow stress to dissolve. Using the tools of meditation, yoga and chi gung as I do…or dancing, art, music…choose something that takes you out of your thinking mind and to you senses! This is a rest from the thinking mind. It takes you back to a more neutral place and the body and the spirit will learn to follow. Putting yourself first is a gift to your daughters as it allows them the same – and a gift to anyone you care about because the greatest gift you can give the world is to be happy.
Yours Fiona Edelstein
p.s love your words of wisdom Craig.
LERVE Vicki’s No 10 – I’m dropping in here after it’s all happened – it’s great to discover a new blog!
Cheers – Robin
I wish there was a switch I could flick to the ‘off’ position. My head is wayyyyy too busy. Gee it’s draining. Physically. Mentally. Draining. I think (there I go again) I’m going to explode tonight. I need a backup power source (that means I don’t have to think at 1000% capacity). I need a break from me. Can I be you for a day or three, Craig? Your head busy too, I know, but in more productive ways than mine is.
Can’t believe it’s been nearly 3 months since you wrote this article, Craig. I’m still an over-thinker. What am I doing? (or not doing?). *Pressing ‘print’ now, and going to read this article of yorus every day till I ‘get it’… and will get head back into reading The Power of Now too. Time many of my thoughts get evicted.
Jules
14/02/2009
I thought this was a great article, and while I can identify with Vicki about rooms/apartments, I use a softer metaphor of ‘Gardens’ – those bad tenants Vicki mentions are just weeds – once you get rid of them you leave space for flowers (i.e. positives) to grow into – remember to sweep up and prune ocasionally
SOMETIMES I WISH I COULD JUST TAKE A VACATION FROM MYSELF. TAKE MY BRAIN OUT AND TRADE IT IN FOR ONE THAT DOESN’T THINK AS MUCH.
I enjoy reading your post, thank you very much.