Thinking and Doing; There must be a balance.

This has been on my mind lately.

Sometimes I will overthink something, and I end up not doing anything.

Sometimes I will do something rashly, and I will end up wishing I thought about it more.

Does this ever happen to you?

I think there needs to be a balance between pondering/thinking, and action/doing.

Sometimes it is good to be spontaneous and not have to overthink it. I love times like those.

But sometimes I like a well thought up plan of action, where I can incorporate both thinking and doing in a very balanced way.

Wow, I'm pretty sure I'm rambling right now, but I hope I'm making sense.

Okay how about an example. Let's say you are sitting with a cute chick. "Should I lean in and kiss her? How should I do it? On the cheek or lips? Oh man I can't decide."

Then the chick is like "oh I gotta go, see ya next time."

Missed opportunity. An example of overthinking and missing out on an epic opportunity.

Sometimes you really just got to go through with it and do.

There are days where I will sit around, literally do nothing, and just ponder things.

Then there are days where I go out and about and just DO, and I accomplish so much.

I believe we need to have both kinds of days.

(end rambling)

reply to post by SolarE-Souljah


There are those times when you are not thinking you are doing and in the zone.
These are precious few moments we wish we might have a formula for recreating and though many have tried it seems to be a matter of skill ability and luck combined with an easy confidence to create a forward motion that is unstoppable. That is a cool feeling and I have had it shooting pool. It is like a mirage though because when you acknowledge it it vanishes into thin air.
Yet on the other hand, there is a great deal written especially lately in newage stuff like the Secret, about intention being key to getting anything positive accomplished (I don't see how it cannot also be used for negative if you wish) but if you consciously bring something to mind it will come to you or manifest. I don't know about that. Sometimes I see it as some sort of odd coincidence and other times I think holy crap I was just thinking about that like that and it happened.

reply to post by newcovenant


Basically, you are starting to discern a difference within yourself. You recognize the possibility of the impulsive side of your nature that can be spontaneous (of course), irresponsible, care free and "in the moment."

The other part is the rational side. the one that thinks of consequences of your actions.

You are becoming a mature, thinking individual that can perhaps see the outside world as your plaything, but also can check yourself from playing to your basic nature and thereby temper your interactons with that world so that both you and that world are least offended by the actions of the other.

My bet is that you are on track to becoming a fine specimen of a human.

reply to post by SolarE-Souljah


Thinking is always a distraction. Thinking about whether to make a move is taking you away from the vision that is in front of you. The intimacy that would be felt in such a moment is incredible, and possibly far too threatening to a being with fear.
If we stay with the moment and all that comes with it, the veiw, the sound, the alive feeling 'inside' and forget with the thinking, we may get the girl.
The girl may well feel the intimate presence that you have bestowed upon her.
The best present that can be given is presence.
Stop thinking and see and hear what is being presented presently.

Thinking and wanting come hand in hand. The mind/thinking is looking to fulfill its future, like laying stepping stones it has a goal, it has intentions. It lays the stepping stones upon this moment to secure a future, a happy, bright shiny future, somewhen later, somewhere better.
Slabs of concrete for now; lovely, shiny bright future for later.
We make 'now' dead with the stepping stones made of concrete.
And we will never see the future, never!!!!

Throw away the stepping stones of want and desire.
See this moment for what it is.
It is aliveness itself.

Doing can be balanced with the thinking.
Just watch and see that both thinking and doing just happen - without you doing or thinking anything.
Try this little experiment; don't do or think anything today.
If you notice it will still happen - doing and thinking.

The trick is to observe the doing and the thinking.
The one who is observing all the thinking and doing is not thinking.
It is still doing though - it is doing observing.
Try to see the observer.

When it all goes quiet, when the thoughts cease, we take this as a negative thing and flee. It is a place of not knowing, a place that feels unsafe to the human condition.
There is truth here, in the place of not knowing.
For we can know nothing really, we can have ideas, beliefs, conclusions. At best, we can think we know.
If we are totally honest we know nothing.
So stay in the place of not knowing and in that there is truth.
The only security there is, is there is no security.
It's freefall all the way.

Originally posted by Aliensun
reply to post by newcovenant

 

Basically, you are starting to discern a difference within yourself. You recognize the possibility of the impulsive side of your nature that can be spontaneous (of course), irresponsible, care free and "in the moment."

The other part is the rational side. the one that thinks of consequences of your actions.

You are becoming a mature, thinking individual that can perhaps see the outside world as your plaything, but also can check yourself from playing to your basic nature and thereby temper your interactons with that world so that both you and that world are least offended by the actions of the other.

My bet is that you are on track to becoming a fine specimen of a human.

Maturity has not a thing to do with it - in fact maturity will slow you down.

Since I am already human, just trying to do a little better for myself, thank you for noticing.
I think shooting pool will help with that.

What it is quite simply is exactly as the op suggests. Don't over think. Go with your instincts.
Tempered interaction and least offending....synchronicity. What it's all about.

Keep up the good works.

reply to post by newcovenant


I was just gonna say, that dude was overthinking it lol.

Good job on seeing that as well.

Now this whole post has got me over-thinking synchronicity.

The idea of synchronicity is that the conceptual relationship of minds, defined as the relationship between ideas, is intricately structured in its own logical way and gives rise to relationships that are not causal in nature. These relationships can manifest themselves as simultaneous occurrences that are meaningfully related.

Jung believed that many experiences that are coincidences due to chance in terms of causality suggested the manifestation of parallel events or circumstances in terms of meaning, reflecting this governing dynamic.[6]

en.wikipedia.org...

And FLOW

en.wikipedia.org...

Flow is the mental state of operation in which a person in an activity is fully immersed in a feeling of energized focus, full involvement, and success in the process of the activity. Proposed by Mihály Csíkszentmihályi, the positive psychology concept has been widely referenced across a variety of fields.[1]

According to Csíkszentmihályi, flow is completely focused motivation. It is a single-minded immersion and represents perhaps the ultimate in harnessing the emotions in the service of performing and learning. In flow, the emotions are not just contained and channeled, but positive, energized, and aligned with the task at hand.

I call what you are describing as "healthy procrastination", because I recognize the Nature of the Energy behind the ability to Manifest.

It involves a force outside of yourself (this is one time I can say "outside of yourself" with Spirit) because often there is a divide between a "want" and a "need".

I have spent my entire life as a person who is very "high strung", sitting still was never in my vocabulary and experimenting to discover was my way. As much as I heard "calm down" or in some cases was "beaten down" to control my bounce (even as an adult!), I still managed to notice the force of Spirit at play in my life.

I build things, compulsively, and I let empty spaces speak to me; I garden and I am considered "migratory", so it seems I am constantly having to "rebuild" what once was or what I once had. The reason I say this is because now it seems I am having difficulty getting "motivated", "inspired", or even "cheered along" (this is my praise element from others). It really seems to be a stumbling block until I realize that Spirit is putting me into a "healthy procrastination".

It wasn't that the intent or the vision was wrong, it was more a matter of what was more appropriate and fitting, more importantly, what was for me and what was for someone else. I suddenly realize now my Ego was painting pictures and I was not actually benefiting anyone but myself; by accomplishing the task my Ego was fulfilled but the "need" wasn't correct. So I stop! It is the oddest thing to stop midstream at ideas and projects. I cannot discard what I have created to begin something else (although I am constantly starting new projects), I just push it aside a bit, hoping for some clarity as to why I cannot continue.

The things that stop me are not always my own "lack of" as far as motivation and so forth, sometimes the ideas and thoughts are streaming and I cannot slow down the pictures of what "could be" as they present themselves; so instead, I wait and just "imagine" to my hearts content.

What I have found is the meaning behind the motivation changes, that priorities show themselves, and often I see how "disruption and disharmony" would have taken over.

For instance, not that it is true, but what if the OP did kiss the girl? What if the girl was "masked" in our ideals of a happy encounter and subsequent path, and suddenly she turned out to be everything you always wanted to avoid. Let's say jealousy, obsessive (negatively), or what if she is a philanderer (but the word for the female version)? I could see where by not kissing the girl, your inability to "get it out" was a "healthy procrastination" enough to "save your tail"! Literally!

I know, I know, she was perfect! LOL

At any rate, I know how you feel to an extent, but I also feel that as you age and mature you will notice the messages behind those times when your mind wants to go one way and Spirit says otherwise.

I don't know what else to call it, but it works for us not against us!

reply to post by Greensage


I love when I make a thread, and then see it expand through the minds of the members.

Many times I end up gaining many new insights on the topic.

Thank you very much.