Yesterday I wrote about the SQL Script.

This is one of the life scripts I heard neuroscientist and author Anne-Laure Le Cunff wax lyrical about on a podcast recently.

The whole idea that invisible scripts run our lives and nudge us towards safe not satisfying choices is something I came across in Paul Millerd’s cult classic book The Pathless Path. 

In that book, Paul explores the classic life script which goes something like:

Get good grades → Get a good job → Climb the ladder → Retire at 65 → Live happily ever after 

On the podcast, Anne-Laure spoke about two other life scripts. She called one the Epic Script (the idea that whatever we do needs to be big, impressive and change the world) and the other the Crowd-Pleaser Script (living your life based on what you think will make other people happy).

While we’re speaking about life scripts like these, I thought I'd add one of my own into the mix.

I’m calling this script the Thinking Script.

The Thinking Script says your brain is the best tool for the job. It says if you’re not sure, keep thinking. It says you can think your way to clarity, confidence and a meaningful life. It also says the solution to overthinking is more thinking.

To make things worse, the Thinking Script often comes dressed up as wisdom.

It feels smart.

After all, what can be smarter than thinking?

But I’d go so far to say that defaulting to thinking is one of the daftest ways to live a happy, joyful and sparkly life.

A bold statement perhaps.

But let your thoughts go for a moment, take a breath and consider the evidence.

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see that the daftest way to relax, be yourself, to listen, to enjoy yourself, to be creative, to dance, to be confident, to discern, to be present, to be natural, to be spontaneous or simply just to be happy is to THINK about relaxing, dancing, being creative, being confident and so on.

You see that right?

Trying to be yourself by thinking about being yourself is like trying to ace an improv comedy class by learning your lines before the class.

Simply put:

Life doesn’t flow when you start thinking about it. Life flows when you let go of all that thinking.

It seems so obvious that I wonder why I lived so much of my life using my thoughts as a compass.

At least I know now why I always found it so tough to make decisions.

Anyway, that was then and this is now.

I’d go so far to say that overthinking is THE modern-day addiction. 

It’s taken root without anyone even noticing, but now it’s time to redress the balance.

My draft book is finally with my copyeditor (thank you to all my beta-readers – I’ll be in touch about your copies soon). And while the book is out of my fidgety hands for the time being, it’s time to start thinking (I know, I know…) about my next project.

That project?

A new course on how to dial down your overthinking.

I’m looking forward to this one. Watch this space for more…