There’s this thing about me… I overthink just about everything! I mean, it’s a real issue sometimes. It’s to the point where I wish there were some type of support group where I could go and work out my overthinkingness (yes, I just created a word).
I think it stems from wanting to be perfect in just about everything. As I’ve mentioned in a few previous blog posts, I am very competitive. It’s not that I just hate to lose, I don’t think anyone wants to lose, it’s more like I want to do the best that I possibly can and know that I have accomplished everything that I’ve set out to do in a quick and efficient manner.
If I’m completely honest with myself, this is not fair to me and is certainly not fair to those around me who support all my efforts. This sometimes unnecessary strive for perfection has caused me to overthink things to the point of delay or procrastination, not taking action when the obvious solution is at hand or just the feeling of thinking things could always be better. Again, this is not fair for a lot of reasons. In short, I’m way too hard on myself. There, I said it. I’m an overthinker!
Recently, I was in Santa Fe, New Mexico, on a trip with my family. We were very fortunate to get a house in the mountains to stay for the week. This house, like much of Santa Fe, was not polluted by city lights, city fumes, or city anything. It was simple, pure, beautiful and in the heart of nature at its finest.
This house had an observation deck on the roof and it was amazing to view the surroundings from that vantage point. The sky was striking! The white puffy cotton ball-like clouds were drawn as a perfect backdrop hovering over the landscape, the trees swaying in the wind interrupted the silence in such a soothing way, and so many other serene moments made this trip one for the memory books!
This observation deck was especially amazing in the evening and nighttime looking up at the stars. Without the distraction of the city lights, there were so many stars to see and appreciate! It was like an array of random Christmas lights, big and small, arranged in an unpredictable and powerful manner. It was perfection!
On one night, just before his bedtime, my three-year-old grandson looked at me and said, “Hey Pop, you see that white piece in the sky? That’s the moon!” Looking at life through the eyes of a child is wonderfully simple and refreshing! He simply observed the obvious and communicated it in a way that was not only true but complete.
No, he didn’t understand the complexity of the moon, how it affects our tides, or where it may have come from, or really anything else. He just saw the moon in a way he’d never seen it before because it was so clear in that unfiltered sky and wanted to make sure that I knew what he saw. It was a perfect moment!
After he went to bed, I pondered the “white piece in the sky” and thought about how nice it would be not to overthink things but just to enjoy the moon as it is and not strive to completely understand it.
So, what does this have to do with running an online business? Well, I’m glad you asked. For me, it means that I don’t need to fully understand everything. I just need to trust, accept and embrace the process.
That does not mean I don’t strive to have some sort of understanding of how things work, but more simply put, it means I need to trust that things will work. I need to learn to trust those around me who are a little bit further ahead of me, I need to learn to trust technology more, and most importantly I need to learn to trust myself.
I don’t need to overthink things all the time. As I mentioned above, overthinking can lead to delays. This has been the case with me at times while trying to make things perfect and think, or overthink, I’ve often slowed the process and my progress.
Again, I am not the saying that lacking a full understanding of the big picture is okay, I am saying that it is okay just to be okay. Does that make sense? Are you anything like me and tend to overthink and try to get things exactly right before you take action?
I actually had the opportunity to place the concept of not overthinking things into practice the other day. I’m in the process of creating a Facebook Lead Ad and along with that an automatic email sequence that will send information about valuable products to my email subscribers.
I must have revised the email sequence a dozen times. I kept trying to make it better and I kept trying to think about what I could write to engage the reader. I was given advice on the sequence and I applied the recommended edits.
However, I still tried to make it even better. It was already fine… probably more than fine! I discussed my email sequence with both my wife and one of my mentors, Sophie, and they both had the same counsel for me; just hit send and don’t overthink. So, I did just that and I’m waiting to see the results of my efforts. It was liberating to release my fears surrounding that part of the process and just trust in my product.
I was recently on a call with my main mentor, Dean, and was expressing my thoughts on overthinking things and wanted to hear his strategy regarding this business. To sum up, he said his strategy “is to be transparent, honest and relatable… put yourself out there, be accountable, don’t compare yourself to others and then celebrate the wins. And, never give up!” It seems to me that’s a pretty good strategy and I hope to follow it to the best of my ability!
Do you sometimes wait until the last-minute hoping for some epiphany or sense of complete understanding before you take action? If so, that’s not bad, believe it or not. That’s just being you and being human just like me. What I need to learn is that it is okay to be me but it is also okay to be me in a more trusting confident way.
Well, I guess it’s time I wrap up this blog post before it gets too wordy and I lose you. Wait, I might have more to say or maybe I need to make a list of why someone shouldn’t overthink just everything. Or, should I wrap this up now so I can post it for you to read? But what if I am missing something and not providing the value that I desire to give you? Ohh, I see what I’m doing here, I’m overthinking again. Ha Ha Ha Ha! I think I’ll let you get back to your day and wish you the best!
“You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
“Overthinking is like sitting in a rocking chair. It gives you something to do but doesn’t get you anywhere.” – Unknown
And of course, a few VERY BAD Dad jokes:
Why did the moon break up with the sun? Because it needed some space!
Why did the moon skip dinner? It was already full!
How does the man in the moon cut his hair? Eclipse it!
Until next time, STAY FRESH, Friends!
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I think I have the opposite problem, I don’t think it through enough, I just jump in… I think both problems are an issue. and funnily enough I thin Deans advice might be helpful for both of us. Heres to you overcoming overthinking!
Hi Tony – You know, I think you’re right an excellent point. Somewhere we have to find the middle ground and take action at the right time at the right pace. That’s part of the secret sauce from the secret recipe. Thanks for your visit and here’s to both of our success!
Hi Ernie,
This post is exactly what I needed! Overthinking can definitely be a drag, but that story about your grandson and the moon? Such a sweet reminder to slow down and appreciate the simple beauty around us.
Deans mentorship is so great! “Be transparent, trust the process, celebrate the wins” That’s a great thing to keep in mind. I sometimes get so focused on the end goal that I forget to enjoy the journey. Thanks for the nudge in the right direction! Looking forward to your next post!
Meredith
Hi Meredith! I am so glad you found this post beneficial and I agree with you about Dean’s mentorship! We are so lucky to have found him and to learn from his experiences and to hopefully apply his wisdom. Hope you have a wonderful day and a wonderful weekend! Thank you so much for your visit and see you on the blogs!
I tend to want to understand the process before I push “send” or reply. Take FB Lead adds, as an example. I don’t get it. Also it is so much more work than I expected. But I am now ready to take the plunge.
Hi Kate- I’m right there with you! It is so hard to trust for some like us who just want to understand everything. I don’t think that’s a bad thing, but as you say sometimes we just need to take the plunge. You are right about Facebook lead ads in my opinion. They are more challenging than I expected and there is a lot of work. However, I am so very confident that you will excel in this task and have a great day!
Hey Ernie,
Great post!
I could start by saying that this is the 5th time I’ve tried submitting this comment because I just couldn’t get it quite right – but I won’t…
I tend to have lengthy conversations with myself in my head quite often, and I have not always been great at following through when I start things, so I get what you say about overthinking. I think perfectionism is probably a part of the same beast.
I also completely understand what you say about the children seeing things with totally different eyes. My 2 year old granddaughter just gets so excited about almost everything – and yet we adults tend to not appreciate what is around us so much. My little girl is just loving life and learning – I hear the question “Poo-Bear – what’s that?” about a hundred times a day when she is around, so her curiosity is still strong, and as much as you kind of get tired of answering the same question, it does help you to appreciate that it is much more interesting to her than it is to you. That absolutely helps me to make an effort to appreciate what’s going on around us than I usually do.
Finally – to add to your list of quotes, I had a client once say to me “When I look at the clock, I just want to know what time it is – I don’t need to know how the clock works.”
Hi Sean! It’s nice to meet you thank you for visiting my blog. I’m sorry you had trouble commenting earlier but it went through just fine now so all is good. Sounds like you and I are on the same path in our thinking and enjoying our grandchildren. Such a blessing and teach us more than they will ever know, right! I love your quote at the end as I’ve heard it as well and it truly is applicable. Again, thank you for your visit, hope you are well, and have a fantastic week ahead!
Edit
I often find myself in the same cycle of overthinking. It is so funny, but I often have to remind myself to Keep It Simple and Stupid! Overthinking and doing too much too fast is definitely something to work on for me, so I truly appreciate you sharing your experience. Santa Fe sounds like a beautiful reminder to embrace simplicity and trust the process. And those dad jokes are golden! Keep up the great work, and here’s to embracing imperfection together! 🌙🚀
The K.I.S.S. method is something I needed to be reminded about. Thank You!!! “Embracing Imperfection”! That’s gold and I never heard it described that way. I’ll keep the dad jokes coming and hope I don’t wear out my welcome with them. 😉 Thanks for your visit, friend!
Ernie, you need to start using the tagline, “What does this have to do with running an online business?”. I love the recurring theme of that in your posts.
The best boss I ever had was not an overthinker. I don’t remember exactly the percentage but he had a 75% rule. And it was to basically provide our clients with 75% of the solution and as time went on, we would work on the remaining 25%. A lot of times our clients would have the epiphany and further drive that final 25%.
Nobody really knows exactly what they want until the first 75% of their solution is in front of them and in production. But if you provide the 100% solution right off the bat,
#1 – The solution likely took too long to put into production.
And #2 – More often than not, the solution is not the solution – putting the whole project back to square one.
Thank you for catching on to my consistent use of my tagline! I always try to include a story or something that is relatable to my business. It is just how I’ll operate and that’s just how I think. I liked hearing about your best boss. Very interesting and very refreshing to know that there are people in authority with the attitude of service. I enjoy reading your blog posts and look forward to more wisdom from you as I progress through this business. You are way ahead of me and I aspire to catch up to you some day. 🙂 Have a great week, my friend!
Hi Ernie,
This post really resonated with me. Overthinking is something I struggle with too, and your story provided such a refreshing perspective. Your grandson’s simple observation of the moon was a beautiful reminder to embrace the simplicity and beauty of the present moment without getting bogged down by the need to understand every detail.
Your reflections on how overthinking can delay progress hit home, especially in the context of running an online business. It’s so true that striving for perfection can sometimes hold us back. Trusting the process, the people around us, and ourselves is crucial—and your story illustrates this beautifully.
I also loved hearing about your experience with the Facebook Lead Ad and email sequence. It’s liberating to let go of the fears and just take action, as you did. Your mentor’s advice to be transparent, honest, and relatable is gold, and something I’ll strive to incorporate in my own journey.
Thank you for sharing your insights and experiences. Your post was both relatable and inspiring, and it’s comforting to know that I’m not alone in this overthinking battle. Looking forward to more of your posts.
Wishing you continued success and peace of mind!
Best,
Ezequiel
Hello Ezequiel – Thank you for your visit to my blog post and for your very nice comments! Yes, overthinking is something that I believe a lot of us share but often do not take the steps to overcome the reasons for overthinking. Whether it is insecurities, procrastination, or whatever the case might be it is something that I know I need to work on. Please note, you are not alone and if you ever want to chat or when things by me I am here for you, my friend. Enjoy the rest of your week!
Ernie,
I am like you in the fact that I like to think things thorough and know have everything works, and how can I make it better. Take my videos for example. I spend a lot of time trying to make them perfect it when I should just leave well enough alone and just move on.
Sherri
Hi Sherri – It sounds like we are very similar! Hi, personally, enjoy your videos. I have not been able to post a video in some time due to personal situations, however I plan to get back at it soon and like you, I spend a lot of time overthinking these Maybe by the time we start to make our business is very successful we will not overthink as much. We can only hope and have a wonderful week ahead!
I totally get the overthinking thing, I am the same, and will fully support overthinkingness as a real word. Your grandson’s view of the moon was so heartwarming. It’s a great reminder to sometimes just see things as they are and not complicate them. We all tend to get caught up in trying to perfect everything, being transparent, honest, and relatable is spot on. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and experiences – it’s reassuring to know we’re not alone in this!
Hi Sarah – Thank you for your visit to my blog. I’m a big fan of yours and every time you visit my little blog I feel honored! Yes, we all do get caught up in perfection, well at least some of us. This often is what ties us up and delays our success, right? I hope to change that for me and I hope to help others by adding value and support. Again, I truly do appreciate your visit and hope you have a wonderful week!
Ernie, I can totally relate to overthinking everything! It’s tough wanting things to be perfect all the time. Your story about your grandson and the moon really hit home—sometimes it’s best to appreciate things as they are. I’ll try to remember to trust the process more and not get stuck in overthinking. Thanks for sharing your experience and insights! Atif
Atif – Thank you for your many visits to my blog posts. The comments and validation of my thoughts and ideas are very much appreciated! Trusting the process and realizing that I cannot be perfect is something I strive to work on daily. Have a wonderful day, my friend!
I love reading your posts, getting to know you and your family. This one in particular gave me great pleasure hearing about your stay in the countryside and your grandson’s take on the moon. So cute! Overthinking. Yes, guilty as charged. Almost as bad as procrastination.
Hi Andy – Yes, I’m pretty proud of my family and I’m glad you enjoy hearing about them. They are special! You and I are cut from the same cloth, I suppose, when it comes to overthinking. Here’s to us recognizing opportunities when they come and taking action quickly. Have a great day!