I just had a major epiphany.

[nietsdoen]

It will sound incredibly simple and obvious, and I've heard it before, too, but sometimes things don't really click until they just.. well, click.

I was sitting in my bed, reading this post (thanks Dulma! I would have repped you but it wouldn't let me hehe), when I realized that I'm lazy because I'm a prisoner to my own thoughts. I keep telling myself I want to get fit, I want to try my hardest, but when it comes to actually doing something, I don't because my mind comes up with 1000 different excuses.

Well, no more. I've been living my life a prisoner of my own thoughts! If I want do something, I'll DO it!

[Thetruthproject]

Awesome things like this excite me! All you really have to do is realize its fake. now apply that to other areas as life

[nzmegs]

My personal saying since i was about 14 has always been "don't think about it, just do it". As a teenager there were a few things i should have thought about more, but otherwise this philosophy has been pretty much spot on.

[Sandstone]

This was just the post I needed to read. I am going to take your epiphany to heart.

[FelineNostalgia]

Me too!

Experiencing the actual meaning of these processes is golden

[AndrewJen]

Yes, actions do speak louder than words.

[James81]

Originally Posted by nietsdoen

If I want do something, I'll DO it!

This last part is actually huge. And, interesting enough, you're ALREADY doing that. We are all, already, creating very powerfully what we want to experience.

The key, then, isn't in the action so much as it is cultivating the desire to do things that have you experiencing good feelings.

[scotthegeek]

I heard a Buddhist monk say thinking about pushing the wheel barrel is hard, pushing the wheel barrel is easy.

Scott

[strategicalcoach]

I love your epiphany! It resonates with me..I've been "wanting" to learn to french. Guess what I'm going to DO? thanks for the inspiration

[CroMagna]

Originally Posted by nietsdoen

It will sound incredibly simple and obvious, and I've heard it before, too, but sometimes things don't really click until they just.. well, click.

I was sitting in my bed, reading this post (thanks Dulma! I would have repped you but it wouldn't let me hehe), when I realized that I'm lazy because I'm a prisoner to my own thoughts. I keep telling myself I want to get fit, I want to try my hardest, but when it comes to actually doing something, I don't because my mind comes up with 1000 different excuses.

Well, no more. I've been living my life a prisoner of my own thoughts! If I want do something, I'll DO it!

I don't understand what your epiphany was. Are you saying that if you're a prisoner to the thought "I want to try my hardest" you're just going to release that thought and do whatever you want?

[nietsdoen]

Originally Posted by CroMagna

I don't understand what your epiphany was. Are you saying that if you're a prisoner to the thought "I want to try my hardest" you're just going to release that thought and do whatever you want?

I'm a prisoner to my mind's pointless excuses for taking action, and I just need to realize that it's all in my head.

[Dulma]

I'm smiling so big right now!

Glad you gleaned value from that. It's a realization I'm coming to embrace as well.

What really gets me going is to give up all resistance. When I resist, I either stop flowing altogether or I start to act from a place of fighting myself/my perceived sloth - both of which never end well. So I try to transcend the notion of seeing a duality of "movement vs. stagnation" altogether. In fact, transcendence of the dualities my ego likes to create has been turning out to be the answer to everything in my life lately.

[cacheborn]

Always amazing to see people getting 'Aha' moments.

[nietsdoen]

Originally Posted by Dulma

What really gets me going is to give up all resistance. When I resist, I either stop flowing altogether or I start to act from a place of fighting myself/my perceived sloth - both of which never end well. So I try to transcend the notion of seeing a duality of "movement vs. stagnation" altogether. In fact, transcendence of the dualities my ego likes to create has been turning out to be the answer to everything in my life lately.

Interesting. I like it!

[ZenPhysicist]

Great realization. Now, do it! and tell us all how its going. I have also fallen into this pattern you describe. I'd say "I have to make a plan and research this and that first, then I will take action." Its called a contingency manana (spanish for tomorrow.) You say "I will do this thing (whatever you want to do) tomorrow after I do this (contingency) thing first." Like "I will workout after I buy this book on the best work outs and read it - so that I can pick the best work out for me" Then you procrastinate on buying the book. LOL. Its a vicious cycle and its good to break the cycle.

[nietsdoen]

Originally Posted by ZenPhysicist

Great realization. Now, do it! and tell us all how its going. I have also fallen into this pattern you describe. I'd say "I have to make a plan and research this and that first, then I will take action." Its called a contingency manana (spanish for tomorrow.) You say "I will do this thing (whatever you want to do) tomorrow after I do this (contingency) thing first." Like "I will workout after I buy this book on the best work outs and read it - so that I can pick the best work out for me" Then you procrastinate on buying the book. LOL. Its a vicious cycle and its good to break the cycle.

Most certainly! That's basically what my thought process was.. well, today online classes started, and I'm VERY motivated to do well in them. This time, not motivated to just plan everything out, but motivated to actually get to work. So I'm thinking that maybe I really have changed things, and broken this cycle you speak of.

[ZenPhysicist]

Originally Posted by nietsdoen

Most certainly! That's basically what my thought process was.. well, today online classes started, and I'm VERY motivated to do well in them. This time, not motivated to just plan everything out, but motivated to actually get to work. So I'm thinking that maybe I really have changed things, and broken this cycle you speak of.

I don't know if you have broken the cycle - hopefully you have. In my personal life I realized that the "break" has been a myth. There has been no level of success that my old self could not snatch me down from. So, I have ditched the idea of a break and I try to stay focused on the task at hand. I used to want to be free of the old me, and to be permanently the improved me. I have found that this kind of thinking has been harmful because I never felt like a new me, I was just doing things more on track with what I identified as being important. In other words, I don't go debate in my head as much - I am doing more and seeing better results, but I don't rely on the feeling of being on track as validation. Why? Because I have results to validate my efforts. The good feeling can come and go. The feeling of the flow can came and go. Sometimes I just feel crappy even tho I am following my script correctly. So, I look to my tracking system to validate my progress, not my feelings. This has made a HUGE difference in getting on track and staying there.

I would recommend you track your studying efforts. Decide how much focused time you are going to spend studying each subject. Get a dry-erase calendar. Every day you study according to plan, mark it off. This will give you a visual of how closely you are following your plan. Also, seeing the calendar will remind you to study. Then, when you feel a little down, like things aren't quite coming together, use your calendar as a reference. You will say "I don't feel so hot - but I see I have been studying every day for the past 2.5 weeks - so regardless how I feel right now - I am doing what I have to do" For me, that makes ALL the difference.

[NicB]

Nice, my friend!

I in fact go through a similar thing. It's called "paralysis by analysis". Indeed thoughts can be an amazing tool or a unrivaled hurdle.

Good on you for your realisation!

Also, meditation will help an over-thinker like you.
(i can call you an over-thinker because i am one myself )