December 9, 2024
This post is part of my 30in30 challenge, where I write 30 minutes every day for 30 working days. Due to my limited time for this challenge, the content will be only very lightly researched and edited. The idea is to just write. Find my voice, and find the courage to publish. To follow my curiosity wherever it may take me.
This title suggests that I see myself as someone who has achieved success. And since success is inherently subjective, perhaps I have! I can definitely point to some achievements I'm proud of. But to be honest, this title wasn't my idea—AI suggested it after picking up on my (apparently very obvious) tendency to overthink.
Still, I really like the title and have seriously considered writing more about overthinking. A book? Probably not. But who knows! It could have been a bestseller!
It would certainly be a fun way to financially benefit from my life-long battle with my over-active mind.
Being an overthinker isn't always fun or easy, though. I learned to downplay it when meeting new people:
"Hey, I'm a bit of an overthinker. And a perfectionist, too. But who isn't, right? Ha ha."
What's funny is that I still feel the need to tell people I'm an overthinker, like it's some disclaimer. Maybe it's because it's such a big part of my personality—whether I like it or not. It's almost like how I mention being tall to avoid the inevitable, "Wow, you're way taller than I thought you'd be! What's the weather like up there?"
By the way, people still find me way taller than they thought I'd be, despite me telling them.
The disclaimer may not work after all.
Overthinking is definitely a double-edged sword. On one hand, it fuels my creativity, improves my analysis, and helps me solve problems in ways I might not have considered otherwise. My mind is constantly scanning for possibilities and outcomes.
On the other hand, overthinking can be a paralyzing spiral of doubt and second-guessing. Every decision feels monumental; every potential outcome is a complex puzzle that must be solved before I take a single step.
Given how much time I spend overthinking, I should turn it into my superpower. I should channel that constant stream of thoughts into action, turn analysis into strategy, and reframe uncertainty as an adventure.
Maybe this book would be less of a guide and more of a reflection—a story about how I've learned (and am still learning) to balance the chaos in my mind with the clarity of purpose. And maybe, just maybe, overthinking isn't such a bad thing after all.
If you wanted to have a guess at how tall I actually am, Ben Holmen created a fun little app called How Tall Is. Have a go and, for crying out loud, never ask me what the weather is like up here, or if I play basketball.