Less Thinking, More Doing

[ProblemSolving]

I think a lot of people, myself included, suffer from an unhealthy perfectionism that ultimately limits action. I often try to analyze every possible outcome before taking action in order to try to minimize risk. Since conditions are never perfect, it greatly hinders my accomplishments. This mindset limits both pickup and business, since both require some degree of risk. I heard a speaker describe this situation like this:

Two boats sit in a harbor with plans of discovering a mysterious "Promised Land". One captain leaves the harbor with a general idea of where the land lies. He meanders about, making course corrections as he goes. The second captain sits in the harbor to analyze an endless supply of information available to him. However, he can never be 100% sure how he will reach the desired destination. Who do you think finds the "Promised Land" first?

I don't know about you, but I've been stuck like the second captain all too often. Years ago, I managed to overcome this paralysis in the pickup field. I finally told myself to stop thinking and just go up and talk to a girl. Sure enough, after this initial step, I was able to easily make course corrections and everything related to pickup slid into place. I think a lot of the people who over-analyze things make fantastic "course correctors". We're great at not repeating mistakes. The trick is, you have to give yourself that push out of the harbor without thinking about it.

Just recently, I found myself in a similar situation with starting up a business. I kept thinking, "The website has to be perfect, this marketing piece has to be perfect before I release it". It made me completely unproductive. Now, I keep telling myself, "Things do not have to be perfect to be effective, just do it and see what happens". My first attempt at pickup wasn't perfect, but it was effective. Simply course correct if you get stuck.

A friend of mine is the exact opposite of a perfectionist. He doesn't think about risk AT ALL. He's one of those, "Just wing it" type of guys. He started a business with very little planning and knowing very little about the field. Yet over time, he worked hard, learned from his mistakes, and now his business is thriving.

I guess what I"m getting at is that it's really easy to over-think things. I think many people would be better served to do less thinking and more doing.

 

[Light]

Indeed. I've always been blessed with the balance of both.
The key is you should only calculate the risk up to a certain point.
Set yourself a few goals and requirements that should be met, and then just go for the kill.

Something like this:
1) Shes alone
2) Shes no longer texting her friend (No longer busy)
3) She doesnt' look rushed to go anywhere
4) In I go !

The above was just an example. I do analyse my situation all the time just like any other guys would. But you should only stick to analysing the surface, and as long as requirements are met, press the trigger.

 

[Altimeter]

I'm also with less thinking more doing. Honestly going on and making plans to get a specific woman is just like a bee flying in a circle that get gets tighter and tighter 'till it flies up his ass.

It's meticulous and time wasting, not to mention very open to procrastination. When you wing it casually without all those dead weights attached, well
1- It's so much easier to just ask a girl out be direct, like you ask what time it is
2- It's great practice, you'll be smoother with your approaches and get better in the long run
3- You don't burden her out of nowhere. Like she was happy before, why should she have to deal with this responsibility

It's like texting a girl you love her more than your mother after 1st date ...

 

[Ross]

My background. Do, then think. It's the fastest way to learn from mistakes if you are the person who commits them. Learning from others mistakes is great, but I find that experiencing things is the only way to truly learn them.