Monday, April 30, 2012

Thinking about thinking too much.....

I've often been accused of thinking too much about things. Or of spending lots of time in my head. It's funny how we view those things as negatives.

My question: How can anyone think too much about things? If my way of being in the world is to be reflective, then what's 'too much'? How does one determine what the outside limit is for thinking? If I spend 5 minutes on a topic, is that too little or just enough? If I spend 30 minutes on a topic, is that too much or just enough? Who gets to make that determination?

There are two vastly different points of view that both lay claim to telling me I think too much. The first are the people who prefer action. Be bold! Be daring! Just do it! (thank you, Nike) Action is the important point for this group. Thinking delays action.

The second viewpoint is that I should depend more on my intuition, and therefore, I would feel the next step more than think about it. Funny thing is that the outcome of these two points of view would be the same: acting more rapidly than I do.