Knowledge vs. Instinct

[Greki]

Some months before I watched the very mentioned video of "The Secret". I believe that it is very helpful for many people, however in my case it was slightly different. You see, I tend to over-think subjects that do interest me. I don't think that's a bad thing, as I get to notice a lot of stuff that a lot of people don't get to see, but sometimes it can get in the way.

Anyway, the point is that I always knew, ever since I started practicing Karate when I was on 8th year (I believe it is known at in USA, here it is known as Second year of Middle-High) I believed instictively, or rather, subconsciously that whatever I proposed myself to do I could do.

Well, ever since I saw that video, I became conscious of this ability. And then suddenly I stopped thinking that way, because I tried to think that way. I tried to force myself to think that way even though I already could, and the fact that I became conscious of this matter made me over-analyze this subject. So I am asking, is it really better to know The Secret, or wait for people to learn it subconsciously?

[RT Wolf]

Don't worry, you made the right move. It is generally better to be conscious of something rather than unconscious of it. You may have to relearn some things that came by instinct before, but its all a process of growth and continual change.

[Marco Polo]

I know exactly what you mean. I personally believe that some things are better run on autopilot. We only have a limited amount of brainpower and we should use it very selectively. Of course it's good to be conscious about things, but if you're already fairly confident about it then what's the point? It's better to just "let it happen" sometimes than to waste your time on analyzing. Shifting certain things to your subconscious frees up your mental RAM.

But OTOH, if you want to reprogram a belief or an intention then you'd have to become consicous about it first. Which is sort of what RT Wolf was getting at I think.

[Greki]

Thanks both of you. And yeah, it sounds logical that you have to be concious of it in order to make it an habit then, and not try to over think it.

Problem is, how do I stop myself from overthinking? And if I try to stop myself from overthinking, wouldn't I be just using the double "RAM" as Marco Polo said, because I would be trying not to overthink it, and at the same time be overthinking it due to the simple fact that I'm trying not to...

Does that even make sense?

[Marco Polo]

You'll basically have to figure it out for yourself, but I'll tell you how I might've approached the problem if I were you. The problem isn't overthinking per se, it's where you direct your attention. You can't actually put a halt to the thought process. When you instruct your brain to ignore something, it will automatically conjure up an image of what you're not trying to think about. The more you try to push it away, the more it sticks.

If you're already confident about an established belief (i.e. "I can achieve anything within the realm of karate"), then just let it be. Shift your focus to something that actually requires logical analysis, like how you could improve your diet.

Think about meditation. When you meditate, you don't actively try to stop the flow of consicousness by telling yourself "don't think about THIS". It's impossible. Instead you direct your attention to something else, like a visual image or perhaps your breathing. And when you do that, everything else gets pushed to your subconscious. So don't try to stop overthinking, just be more selective about your attention.

[Greki]

Oh, I hadn't thought of it that way. Yes, it does make sense. Very much so, thanks!