As I write this title, I am amazed at myself because
normally I wouldn’t advocate the action of ‘thinking’. With passing years and
growing experiences, I have realized the ills of over-thinking are way beyond
the thrills of appropriate thinking. And since the line between necessary and
unnecessary thoughts is extremely thin it is possible to cross the limit into
an unknown territory quite easily. I do not know about you but I can strongly
say I have wandered into this off-limit zone more times than needed.
The dangers of
over-thinking pull you into some kind of vortex that spins around until you
struggle to come out totally confused. Think about one thing and chances are
you will jump from one thought to the other at a pace faster than the fastest
rocket launched from our planet. That is the power of thinking. It can keep you
engaged for hours and hours without any productive output of even a single minute.
It is not for nothing that they created the great phrase ‘Empty mind is devil’s
workshop’.
But, does that mean we should quit thinking?
Does it mean only work
and no thoughts?
Does it imply we should perform thoughtless actions?
Or does
it say we should control our thinking?
All of these questions poke my mind
quite often hence I was tempted to pen them down and see if I can reach some
good answers. This guide is more of an experimental contemplation to understand
productive thinking. It is my way to walk one step closer to the world of good
thoughts. I cannot assume foolproof results because thinking seems to know no
bounds, but as I make the first attempt, I can be assured of a better approach
towards life. Read on while I create a guide-book for the confused thinker in
me. Do add your feedback at the end to see if we can think well together. If
you belong to the over-thinking clan, I am sure you may see the need to pen it
down loud and clear. While if you are a successful follower of practicality and
laugh at people like us who think, think and only think- share some tips, dear
good mate!
You cannot discard
the act of thinking as useless. After all, that is our unique feature
empowering us with the ability to understand, consider, prosper, develop and
make good decisions for ourselves. Our mind is the factory of intelligence,
generating beneficial ideas and thoughts day in and day out. Hence the problem
does not lie in productive thinking, it lies in unnecessary thoughts that end
up creating a bubble around us. It is more like a self-created giant maze
capable of dragging you deeper and deeper into dense network of lanes. One
excellent rule-of-thumb is if you can translate your ideas into actions within
a reasonable duration of time, go for it. But if your thoughts are only magnets
to more and more similar thoughts, quit it immediately. It may seem to generate
numerous ideas in your basket but it will ultimately end with nothing concrete.
That is why they often say think about the present. If you think about the
past, you will end up digging deeper into every possible good memory to hit
upon something bad. As situations and circumstances change, a happy past may
make you sad with reference to the present. On the other hand, thinking about
the future years and years from today suffers from similar mismatch of
circumstances. It does not mean we cannot think of a good situation for the
future or hope for one but it also means we should be prepared for all possible
last-minute changes.
Now let’s move to my
little guide on dos and don’ts of thinking:
The DOs
1.
As mentioned earlier, do think about ideas that
convert into actions- within an hour, day or month from now.
Maximum duration of two-three months is acceptable
but thinking about something a year from today is like building castles in the
air. As long as you smile for a minute while dreaming about the future, it
looks perfectly cute; but if you end up worrying, doubting, and thinking about
every possible thing that can go wrong (like it always does), the entire
exercise is utter waste of precious time.
2.
Do think about your happiness, passion,
interests and desires
Devote time to think about what makes you
happy. This form of happiness will radiate joy to those around you. It does not
promote selfish behavior rather the desire to choose happiness over other
unnecessary things. Once you think about it, convert those thoughts into
actions. Plan trips, pursue your hobbies, and enjoy your passion to ensure
unlimited stock of vitamin H.
3.
Do think about your loved ones and say hello
This form of thought should not end by
simply counting your blessings for their love and support. It should mean
saying hi and letting them know you think about them. Whether it means shouting
across the house to say how you feel or calling a person miles away, it can
mean sending a quick message to your family member in another country or
walking to your neighbor next door, the idea is to act on your thoughts.
4.
Do think about the goodness of your day
Every day is a drama in itself. There are
happy, sad, annoying, exciting, interesting, irritating moments that can sum up
the eventful duration of 24 hours. Some days are just usual, while some are
more colorful. The idea is to be grateful for the colorful aspects with an aim
to draw pleasure from living. It may not be as perfect as you imagined, but it
will definitely deliver truck load of happiness with joyful memories. Thank the
day for all its highlights and work a bit harder tomorrow to overcome the
lowlights.
The DON’TS
1.
Don’t think about the past
It is over, gone, completed, finished, exhausted- insert whichever word
you wish to but the reality is past is not here anymore. Think about happy
memories and smile for a minute, but that is all. Don’t try to analyze,
overreact, contemplate or understand about everything that happened before
because there are no right or wrong answers. This helps to conquer vacation
blues after you return back because you do not allow your mind to just sit and
think. How, why, what, when of a past incident whether good or bad will give
you a one-way entry into misery- good luck coming out!
2.
Don’t think about what people think
That is their job not yours! This one sentence should make you
understand. What and why people think some things about you is beyond your
territory. It is not in your scope of work so why do you even try? No matter
how well you explain and justify, it is not possible to force your perspective
over others. What you see is way different from what others do. Your decision to
make certain choices, believe in something, follow a particular route or
prioritize one thing over the other cannot resonate with others. It is your
life at the end. Do seek advice, listen to opinions, and network with people
for knowledge, but do not enter into a trip of what people shall think about
you. To every person who thinks you did the right thing, there is another
person who thinks you are absolutely wrong. Call it law of universe, but that
is how it works.
3.
Don’t think about comparisons, jealously and
hatred
Comparison is a much bigger sin than we consider it to be. What is the
point of comparing with anyone around you when you are in a different race
altogether? Each one of us have to live our own life then why draw comparisons
with peers, friends or neighbors? Comparison sows seeds of jealousy that
spreads quickly like a weed. There is no end to it from there on. You will only
be tempted to think about everything that is wrong with you because someone
will appear to get everything perfect. But what we fail to realize is every
person has a different story that we know nothing about. Just because you see
something on the surface does not mean you are qualified to start drawing
conclusions.
4.
Don’t think about a future timeline in terms of
years
We cannot predict every single minute of our tomorrow then how can we
possibly know about the future, years from now? Agreed, our actions of today
shape the foundation for tomorrow. This makes it essential to behave good, work
hard, and incorporate a positive attitude. But how does plain thinking help? We
know ourselves well to have confidence in our efforts but we cannot arrange a
good circumstance by the power of our thoughts alone. We must and should concentrate on things in
our hand today.
I agree it is easier to say this when we think coolly about the subject.
It is difficult to maintain such high level of maturity when we get carried
away in the flow of our thoughts. The resistance to say no to over-thinking
falls short in several situations, making it impossible to win over endless
chain of thoughts. But like everything else, this approach demands
determination. The decision to quit useless thinking will pave way to a
permanent change in behavior and you will surprised by the change!
Do send your opinion if you agree and don’t
shy away if you disagree. Should you or should you not think is the question in
hand.
What does your guide-book say?
No comments:
Post a Comment