Analysis Paralysis

Sometimes I think so much that I become immobile. All of the things that I should be doing, I'm thinking about doing instead. And then when all is said and done thought, I haven't moved an inch. Nothing has actually been accomplished. But it's been thoroughly picked over in my brain.

I do this with conversations. If I'm supposed to have a tough conversation with someone, I have it in my head instead. Which, of course, doesn't work. Mainly because I am not them. Not only is what I'm saying as I pretend to be them most likely inaccurate, but it also is accomplishing nothing as what's going to help the whole situation is actually talking to THEM.

I did it with papers in college. I was a solid 2 months into my semester of thesis senior year, and had met countless times with my advisor to further develop my topic. Finally one day he sat me down and very calmly said, "You know this is ultimately a written thesis, correct?" I hadn't written anything! I had a bunch of sources, a fair amount of notes, and countless thoughts...but no actual pages of writing. I explained to him that every time I sat down to write I would think up my best argument, but then I would come up with a counter-argument, and resign myself to the fact that my original argument wasn't good enough. Again, calmly, he said, "Yes. And that's exactly how a philosophy thesis goes...except, on paper." Palm--meet forehead.

I do this with political opinions. And really, any kind of opinions. Of course, I have an original opinion. But then I think of it from the other side. And I think to myself, "Well, this side must be valid too, if it's almost 2013 and we're still arguing about it. If one side was 100% right, we wouldn't be talking about it!" And then next thing you know I've changed my mind. But maybe my first opinion was better because it was my gut instinct? So then, when the topic gets brought up in conversation I have no idea what to do. Because the thing about opinions is that they work best in a 1:1 ratio...1 opinion to 1 topic. So I end up looking weird either way--I'm either fighting for both sides, which just doesn't make any sense, or I'm keeping my mouth shut, and I look like the girl with no opinions. And it makes me want to yell, "No! I have an opinion! I even have 2 opinions!" (In all fairness, I rarely keep my mouth shut in these situations. But it's happened once or twice. Take my word.)

On that note, I really hope I now never want to become a politician because this post is most certainly going to come back to haunt me. This one, or the Eminem one will certainly do me in.

Anyways, I know there have to be others out there who think so much that sometimes they forget to act--who have thought so vividly of saying something out-loud that they have had to ask the people who they're with, "did I just say something?"...

You know you've done that before!


"Did you ever stop to think, and then forget to start again?"
-Winnie the Pooh, A.A. Milne