Overthinking can cause Missed Opportunities

Opportunity is like a rare bird, you see once in a while in a specific season. Talent is universal, but opportunity is not. Many have talent, but not many get the opportunity showcase this talent. So when it comes to opportunity, it comes once in a while, which is why they say grab it when you see one. Although many still miss it, not because they were not good enough but because they were overthinking. There are times when one should not dwell so much on something, but rather make a swift response when the opportunity presents itself.

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Here is why I said overthinking can cause missed opportunities. It is because when you overthink, you are doing your best to look at all the possible situations or outcomes to find the best result instead of living in the moment and trusting your gut or intuition. Although overthinking can highlight certain weak points, areas where you could do something different, or better still, you may get the best possible approach to take, but at what cost? Is it when the opportunity is gone?

Like I always use chess as my example, here is one: in chess, there is blitz and classical chess. Blitz usually involves a time control of 3 minutes or 5 for each player to make their moves, while classical chess involves a longer time control of an hour or more. So, with the difference in timing, obviously, there will be a difference in playing strength. Obviously, with blitz, you have to be faster, and in classical chess you can still take your time to think. These two different variants of standard chess come with a different mode of decision making. In one, you have to be swift with your decision and trust your intuition, while the other allows you to analyze your intuition thoroughly.

Here is my point: when playing blitz, you do not have the liberty to overthink things, you have to act with the little thinking you have done. That is how in life, it boils down to grabbing the opportunity once it presents itself. Do not spend so much time overthinking it, especially when it is a matter of time urgency. Trust that what you already know and the talent you have nurtured will come in useful. This may sound small, but trust me, it goes a long way, especially when using it in the real world.

Also, do not get misguided by what I am sharing to think that I am saying you should jump on every Tom, Dick, and Harry opportunity that presents itself, that may not lead to anything. Rather, I am trying to make you understand that there is no individual who knows it all, therefore, absolute clarity on a matter cannot be truly attain. There will always be some angle that you are not covering, but the best you can get is to make do with the information you already have as you learn along the way.

If you keep stalling while you overthink things, you will let a lot of things pass you by. Overthinking comes with its stress, and trust I know what it is like to overthink in a given situation, especially when I am playing chess in a tournament, where it drains me. Trust yourself more often and your instinct might be right more than you give it credit.

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_{I am @samostically, a chess player and writer. I love to share the experience I have gained from different battles over the 64 squares and the knowledgeable insights from books I have read. But most importantly, I am a Midnight Owl and I founded the community Midnight Letters.}