We’ve all heard of option paralysis, where you have more than one great option to choose from (and usually about 3), e.g. for what to do at the weekend, what new course to take this year, what shoes to buy etc…
Someone said to me: “It doesn’t matter which you choose, no choice is better than another!”
That’s great in theory, but I still often suffer from option paralysis whenever two or more interesting possibilities present themselves and a decision has to be made.
My biggest enemy however is Option Paralysis’s 2nd Cousin, Analysis Paralysis! Letting the mind go haywire and analysing everything to decide if it’s the “right thing to do or not”.
For example: Should I do an art course this year?
My initial idea was that it would be really fun, and a great way to give new life to my creativity, and I was ready to sign up on the spot. Until my head got involved, and starting asking questions… will it take away the little free time I have as a dad which I might rather use for other things? Is it really the right thing for me to do this year? Shouldn’t I be ‘being’ instead of ‘doing’ and is my desire to do another course just another symptom of my non-stop doing-ness?!
Imagine that lot going round and round all day long! Yes, it is enough to drive me mad!Constant analysis of a question that really comes down to the following:
Am I properly interested in doing it (What does the heart say)? Does it work logistically (do I have enought time-off to do it)? OK, great, then do it or don’t do it according to those two answers, and leave the head out of it after that!
Conclusion: No more over-analysing everything! Follow your heart not your head!
All this became quite clear again after visiting a fascinating William Blake exhibition in Madrid yesterday…
“He who sees the infinite in all things, sees God…” William Blake, There Is No Natural Religion
Image: The Ancient of Days, by William Blake
Notes from Ben 