Go Beyond

As a homeowner in the great state of Texas, I have learned the secrets of maintaining a green lawn by using the right seasonal fertilizers and treatments to kill weeds and pesky bugs. One year, in my younger days, I was having a problem with grubs and bugs that were feasting on my beautiful Saint Augustine grass. So, I purchased the prescribed poison to kill the little invaders but then made a fatal (pardon the pun) error. I reasoned that if I doubled the prescribed formula then I would more likely guarantee the death of the little critters feasting on my grass. I was right! However, I not only killed the grubs, I also killed what remained of my beautiful lawn. By over-treating the problem I had unwittingly orchestrated the death of every single remaining blade of grass on my lawn. I learned the hard way that more is not necessarily better when it comes to fertilizers and lawn treatments.

More is not necessarily a good thing in other areas as well, especially thinking. Now, don’t get me wrong. I am not suggesting that it is a bad thing to think about things. I am referring specifically to the process of over-thinking or over-analyzing things. While some folks don’t spend nearly as much time as they should thinking things through, others tend to over-think or over-analyze everything. Over-thinkers have an aptitude for introducing unnecessary worry into almost any process. They can make easy things hard, simple things complex, and painless things painful by introducing scenarios that are never likely to happen. This can lead to frustration and stagnation or what some have called analysis paralysis. Over-thinking is a form of fear and worry that can unwittingly lead us to sabotage great plans and dreams — or lead us to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.

When it comes to thinking, we need healthy balance. We must learn to guard against acting too quickly because we did not think things through. And, we must learn to guard against acting too slowly or not at all because of over-thinking a matter. Over-thinking is a form of eisegesis or subjectively reading into a matter what is not there. The bottom line is that our plans will never be perfect or without the risk of failure. No amount of over-thinking or over-analyzing will change that or eliminate all the risks. Sometimes, regardless of the best laid plans of mice and men, things will go wrong. That’s life! The path of progress is messy and seldom straight. Sometimes we end up killing both the grubs and the grass. When that happens, learn from it and move on. Don’t allow over-thinking to overcome you.