How many times have you caught yourself overthinking things? Stuck in an endless loop trying to contemplate every possible scenario to take a decision and getting caught in paralysis by analysis?

I’ve been there more than I’d like to admit.

I’ve been there as an artist (writer), as an entrepreneur, as a wife, as a mom of two…

And almost for every significant role I play in my life… I’ve been there at some point!

Actually - to be completely honest with you - over the past year, I’ve found myself caught up on that endless loop several times specifically in my writing career, trying to figure out what would be the best step to take next… after writing my book.

And that’s funny because I know the theory.

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I understand that advancing on your path of personal evolution requires taking consistent action, balancing your thoughts with tangible actions, acquiring real-world experience, and gaining valuable insights to guide your next steps

Over the years, I’ve applied this countless times, and I know it works because today I can say that I’m living a life that is really in alignment with my inner self and my purpose in almost every area of my life...

However, with my writing career, I’ve been struggling with my next move. This is because I needed to undertake deeper introspection to fully understand why I was experiencing that internal blockage.

So, today, I want to share with you the process I followed to overcome the 'paralysis by analysis' I often experienced in this particular area. This blockage was stifling my creativity and even began to impact everything else in my life negatively

For me, WRITING is the way I connect with my CREATIVE POWER and find my CENTER… It's kind of my self-care ritual when I express myself through words.

During all those moments of overthinking and worrying about making the best decision possible without taking action, I was slowly but constantly distancing myself from this CENTER. 

This separation was a dangerous place to be, as what follows next, if continued for too long, is a sense of lacking purpose.

And I knew I didn’t want to take that route. 

I’m sharing this with you, because even when you know the theory, life is life, and sometimes you can get caught up in these loops very easily.

I’m like you, I have my good and bad moments…

But, the important thing is to have COMPASSION TOWARDS YOURSELF, to be able to STOP, GENERATE SPACE TO OBSERVE, and BE CURIOUS about what you’re experiencing at that moment. From that perspective, without your ego involved, try to find the answers you’re looking for, which have always been INSIDE YOU

So the process I followed started with asking myself these questions: 

Why am I overthinking that much? 

Why am I caught here without being able to move forward?

Simple questions, right?

So, for the past months, I had been asking them myself just to find out over and over again the same excused-based answers. 

I used to answer (and convince) myself:

 “Well, it is important to make the right moves, I don’t wanna waste my time here…”

“It’s important to assess all the possibilities and decide the best option to move forward because I’ll be spending time and resources in that direction and I want to be as much certain as possible that I can succeed in following that specific path”

Of course, I was answering those questions with my ego involved… 

Not wanting to be honest with myself…. I didn’t want to listen to the TRUTH.

Until, one morning, I decided to engage in this exercise again and committed to the challenging task of setting aside my ego and being brutally honest with myself, even if it was painful. I aimed to be true to my inner feelings

I took a deep MEDITATION and after that, from that state of peace and calmness, I opened my JOURNAL and I started my reflection.

I started writing thoughts, perceptions, and emotions I was feeling… and at some point, I saw it crystal clear…. as I wrote down the following:

“I’m afraid I will fail.”

“I’m afraid I will fail because I’m not talented enough.”

I’m just scared.

I FEEL FEAR.

And as soon as I wrote that word: FEAR. I felt relieved, I knew that I had found the reason for my constant blockage…. That was it.

And that FEAR had kept me on the sidelines for months.

It was very very subtle, but it slowly took control of my mind and kept my insecurities growing and growing… in this specific area of my life.

I ended up MAKING UP EXCUSES in the shape of over-assessing the consequences, possibilities, scenarios, etc. to keep me in the status quo, in my comfort zone, because it is safer there.

But… I also wrote down the following question in my journal:

What if the real risk isn’t about making a wrong move, but rather not making any move at all? 

Wow. 

When I got to that realization… It felt even scarier. At least for me.

It felt scarier to keep standing on the sidelines.

I imagined my future self living a life full of regrets because I decided at some point to not get in the arena and prove to myself that I could fail and stand up, learn, fail again, and get back up stronger and better than before… 

So for me, that profound visualization of my Future Self full of regrets, was enough to decide at that moment to stop overthinking and having doubts. 

And I just committed to taking ACTION. Even if I thought it was imperfect.

And that’s why I’m writing today.

So if you’re experiencing a similar situation and you need the push to start taking action and leave the paralysis by analysis behind, these three questions that I just shared changed it all for me, when I got to answer them without my ego involved and after a deep meditation and journaling reflection:

• Why am I overthinking that much? 

• Why am I caught here without being able to move forward?

• What if the real risk isn’t about making a wrong move, but rather not making any move at all? 

I hope they can also be useful for you as well.

And recently I was reading a great book I recommend from Dr. Benjamin Hardy, called BE YOUR FUTURE SELF NOW, in one chapter of the book, he explained this paralysis by analysis very clearly. 

And I’d like to finish this reflection by reading straight from his book, which I think summarizes perfectly what GETTING IN THE ARENA MEANS,  and hopefully, it can give you the INSIGHTS you need to start taking action.

So here it goes.

By refusing to get in the arena you are failing by default.

Being outside the arena means you’re overthinking, caught in paralysis by analysis. You’re letting fear win. Take for example, the countless people who want to start a business, or write a book, or learn a language, or…. (fill the blank) of any dream someone might have.

The longer you hesitate to enter the playing field, the longer you delay the essential learning curve. You cannot deliberately practice on the sidelines, 

Outside the arena may feel safe, but it’s the most dangerous place you could be. While outside, you remain ignorance of your own ignorance. You may be an armchair philosopher on whatever subject you’re interested in, but you’re not becoming a pro. Staying on the sidelines leads to a life of regrets.

It takes courage to get into the game because once in the arena, you will fail. You’ll immediately get hit in the face with the consequences of your actions and your ignorance. 

And although painful in the moment, this is exactly how you learn and adapt.

Once you’re in the arena, and dealing with the realities of the situation, then you can engage in applied learning where you get filtered information you can use right now.

Spectators are caught in paralysis by analysis, fear and decision fatigue. The longer you wait to enter your arena, the more you limit your Future Self.

Being in the arena means you’re finally facing and embracing reality. In the arena, you’re no longer afraid of reality because it has become your instructor.

That’s all from me today.

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