Overthinking won’t save you from mistakes. Only movement will.
I’ve wasted so much energy in the name of making the right decision. Going back and forth, checking in with ten different people, imagining every possible outcome, as if I could control the future if I just thought hard enough. But the truth is, no matter how much you think it through, there’s no perfect decision. You just have to make one and live the life that comes after it.
I used to think overthinking was a form of preparation. Like if I worried enough, planned enough, rehearsed enough in my head, I’d avoid regret. But really, all I was doing was avoiding movement. I’d sit in this weird limbo space where nothing happened. No risk, no reward, just this dull anxiety that quietly drained me. And I’d call it being cautious, but what I was actually doing was hiding.
The Fear Behind the Indecision
What’s underneath all this hesitation is fear. Fear of choosing wrong. Fear of being judged. Fear of losing something. Even fear of things going right, because then what? What if I can’t handle the new version of me that comes after the change?
We don’t talk enough about that side. Sometimes we’re not afraid of failure. Sometimes we’re afraid of growth. Because growth demands movement. It demands honesty. And it demands we stop waiting for a version of life that doesn’t require courage.
The longer I sit with a decision, the more pressure it builds. It doesn’t get easier. It gets heavier. And I’ve learned that the cost of indecision is often greater than the cost of getting it wrong. Because mistakes can be corrected. But time? That doesn’t come back.
Making the Wrong Decision is Still Progress
I’ve made decisions that didn’t go well. I’ve changed my mind. I’ve pivoted after realising something wasn’t working. And none of that ruined me. What did hurt was pretending I didn’t know what I wanted. What did damage was ignoring the signs because I was scared of what change might bring.
There’s something really freeing about realising you’re allowed to mess up. You’re allowed to go all in on something and find out it wasn’t right. That’s not failure. That’s movement. That’s learning.
You can only adjust direction once you’ve started walking. Standing still doesn’t show you anything new. You stay with the same fears, the same doubts, and eventually you start mistaking comfort for peace. But comfort isn’t always peace. Sometimes it’s just stuck.
You’re Not Behind, You’re Waiting on Yourself
It’s so easy to look around and feel like you’re behind. Like everyone else is moving and you’re frozen in place. But most of the time, people are just better at pretending they’ve figured it out. Everyone’s guessing. Everyone’s adjusting. You’re not late. You’re just hesitating at a door you could’ve walked through already.
And even if you have no idea what the next step is, you probably know what isn’t right anymore. That’s already enough to start. That tiny discomfort, that internal nudge that something needs to shift? It’s trying to get your attention. And you don’t need a master plan. You just need to respond.
Movement Doesn’t Need to Be Perfect
You don’t have to be one hundred percent sure. You don’t have to be fearless. You just have to move. Even slowly. Even awkwardly. Because momentum builds. Courage builds. And clarity usually only comes after action, not before.
So if you’re stuck, try something small. Change a routine. Say the thing. Apply for the job. Leave the space. Ask the question. You’ll figure the rest out later. You always do.
And if it doesn’t go the way you hoped, that’s not the end. That’s just one version of the story. You’re allowed to rewrite it.