In a time of change, difficulties are bound to arise. There are then three main reasons why we might find it difficult to move forward. The first of these is overthinking or analysis-paralysis.
Overthinking paralyses us with endlessly flipping back and forth between the alternatives: wondering which is best or which is ‘right’. And as a result, we never actually do anything.
The classic example of this comes from Shakespeare’s play Hamlet. Here it is very clear, very early on, that Hamlet’s uncle has murdered Hamlet’s father and married his mother. But instead of taking rapid action to avenge the king, Hamlet overthinks it all.
“Is it nobler,” he wonders, “to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, or to take arms against a sea of troubles, and by opposing end them?”
If he did take action, would he succeed? Or would he fail? Would death become a time “to sleep, perchance to dream”?
And on the other hand… ?
While Hamlet is dithering over whether “to be or not to be” events move on around him… Until suddenly: “I am dead, Horatio!”
Oops! A wasted opportunity.
We all recognise this indecision, which is why we love the play. But the living death that Hamlet achieves by not taking action is worse than the actual death he eventually suffers anyway. By overthinking, Hamlet accomplishes nothing and the play becomes a tragedy in the truest sense.
In this time of change, we all have the potential to become like Hamlet. We often don’t know what has happened, and we can’t predict what is going to happen or whether our actions will succeed. And all ways forward are likely to be difficult.
But if, like Hamlet, we overthink our options then events will move on around us and we will achieve nothing.
Better instead to make the clearest sense we can of the situation, find as many options as possible to move forward, choose the one that most inspires us, and then begin to make it happen, learning and adapting as we go.
As Charlie Chaplin put it,
“We think too much and feel too little.”
This time of change is calling us to stop overthinking and instead to take more inspiring action to become whatever will make us feel most alive.
This is another step to becoming antifragile.
Have you ever found yourself overthinking or over-analysing a situation? When you eventually moved forward, did you choose the option that most inspired you? Which way forward inspires you most from where you are today?
PS
A Short Term Fix:
If you’re finding it difficult to choose between two alternatives try deciding by tossing a coin.
Then notice how you feel about the result: pleased or disappointed?
This tells you which option you really want.
Adapted from Inner Leadership: a framework and tools for building inspiration in times of change.
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