The other day I was browsing a used book store, and I picked up an old copy of Amy Tan’s The Hundred Secret Senses. It’s as good a read as all the reviews claim and I was enjoying it greatly… but then, midway through, I received an unexpected jolt of wisdom.

Right there, on page 241 Zeng says, “Don’t think too much. That makes you believe you have more choices than you do. Then your mind becomes confused.”

Over thinking and over analyzing is one of my long-standing tendencies, so that simple little throwaway comment hit home with me. But I’m not alone. Many people do the same.

Zeng’s advice to stop over thinking is good if:

• you’ve been agonizing over one decision or another,
• you constantly suffer from information overload,
• you’re stuck between two (or more) things you’d like to do,
• you know it’s long past time for action but you waffle on,
• you’ve delayed making a life change you know you need.

Let’s face it, decisions delayed only get harder to make. Information overload, by the way, is no such thing… it’s only a lack of decisiveness about what information you’ll allow in. And in most cases, if two or more options are really that hard to choose between, then you should be tossing a dart. Anything to break the indecision.

That simple little observation by a fictional character in a twenty year old novel was very welcome for the kick in the butt it gave me. I hope it does the same for you.

In short, if you’ve been thinking too much, just stop it. Instead, stand up, pick one of the options (even a wrong one) and go do something. Once you get the mistakes behind you, then you can start making some actual progress.

Tell me, in what areas are you most likely to waffle, weinie and wait around? And what are you going to do about it, starting this very day?

Cheers from warm and smiling Thailand,
Charles