Your mind never sleeps

Ever wonder if you think too much? Well, we all do. Your mind is a thought generator. Several online sites suggest we have between 50,000 to 70,000 thoughts per day. Many of them are subconscious – thoughts you’re not even aware exist.

There’s a downside; however, when the majority of those thoughts are negative. Over-thinking creates lost focus, wasted time and missed opportunities.  Sifting through all the possibilities will slow your response. That’s because you can act faster than you can think. As a result, you’ll accomplish less.  Frequently the toughest challenge to success happens when you get in your own way.

The downside to thinking too much

People don’t like change. Change is messy and unpredictable. Sticking with things as they’ve always been is the easier choice.

Do you resist change or go for it? Your previous experiences help to influence your decisions. Unfortunately, one bad experience overshadows one hundred good ones. This is purely a survival mechanism.

Over and over I hear from accounting professionals who wish they could detach from their thoughts. Or, they relieve pressure by returning to old ineffective habits. Frustration rises when you know what to do, but revert back to old patterns.

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Pressure throws you off

No one starts an accounting practice with a premonition of failure.

Intense pressure, combined with a desire to succeed, will impair your judgment. You become too emotionally involved. Attending to details seems difficult when you’re overwhelmed, dealing with unreasonable demands or missing deadlines.

We are the bottleneck to our success

Ever tell yourself not to think too much?

• Don’t think, just do it.
• Clear my mind.
• Stop worrying so much. Relax.
• Too much is going on in my head.

Don’t expect to do something new when you’re under extreme pressure, even self imposed pressure. Believing you can easily stop thinking if you’ve never been able to quiet your mind before is unrealistic. Let’s face it, you’d happily clear your mind if you could figure out how.

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Here are four reasons you may think too much.

1. Emotional reasoning: Conclusions are drawn from emotions instead of facts.
2. Over generalizing: When mistakes happen, you judge yourself as a failure. So you avoid doing new things.
3. Disqualifying the positive: Your accomplishments are due to luck. Your contribution and effort is overlooked.
4. All-or-nothing thinking: This is also known as black and white thinking. Either you’re doing something to the extreme or you’re not paying any attention to it. When something didn’t turn out as expected, you’re convinced every part failed.

Thoughts and actions are closely tied together. Thoughts lead to actions and actions lead to thoughts. Your thoughts are designed to protect you (although they will interfere with your actions). Awareness is the first step to choosing a new response.

Don’t try to turn off your thoughts

We lack a switch that will magically turn off the flood of thoughts. Attempting to force your mind to remain quiet or stop thinking only intensifies the frustration.  You’ll end up with even more thoughts flooding around in your head. As a result, a vicious cycle occurs.

These 5 steps help accounting professionals who think too much.

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1. Shift. Worrying about a future problem or dwelling on a past mistake are things beyond your current control. Answer this question: What specific actions will make a difference right now?
2. Simplify. Attempting to change too much at one time will overcomplicate things. Choose only one or two things to work on at a time.
3. See. Future tripping overwhelms your mind with all the what if’s. Racing thoughts are exhausting. Instead see your future self achieving that exact result in your mind’s eye. Don’t concern yourself with the different steps needed to succeed.
4. Solution. Over-analyzing emphasizes the errors. Focus on what you desire. Remember to keep it positive. This applies to all parts of your life.
5. Selfless. You are more than any singular action. Judging yourself after each action is self destructive. No one thing determines if you’re good or bad. Separate your actions from your character.

Over-analyzing is a habit. Don’t set yourself up for failure with an unrealistic expectation. If you know you think too much, then only choose one of the above steps to work on. Once you’re comfortable with that step, then move onto another. Practice is the only way to successfully change.

The simple solution

Trust is the solution. Those painful mistakes and failures serve a purpose. Success occurs because you took action. Acknowledge your strengths and the reasons why you deserve to succeed.

Trust yourself to get the job done. Get out of your own way to achieve new levels of success.

Do you falter under pressure? You get distracted, dwell over mistakes and second guess yourself. You’ll be amazed at how much energy is freed up once you stop over-thinking things.

Are you tired of over-thinking and second guessing yourself? Follow these recommendations for your accounting practice to grow without burning out. Right NOW claim your FREE RESOURCE to earn more while lightening your workload.