Have you ever found yourself endlessly obsessing over an issue, unable to move beyond it? When dealing with a problem or potential opportunity, do you ever have dozens of seemingly unanswerable questions swirling around your brain? If so, you may be suffering from one of the most common afflictions known to the modern worker: analysis paralysis.
At some point we have all found ourselves in the crushing grip of this dreaded condition where we simply can’t make a decision no matter how much we want to get to the end zone. We convince ourselves that we don’t have all the facts, the timing isn’t quite right, something bad will happen if we take action, or we just haven’t conjured up the right solution yet. These feelings of unreadiness and unsteadiness cause us to squander precious time and lose our peace of mind. What is the root cause of this all-too-prevalent mental malaise? It is our own egos.
The ego convinces us that we haven’t done enough legwork because of one reason: it doesn’t like the unknown. Imagine your ego as a person who is deathly afraid of heights. It would rather remain firmly, safely planted on the ground instead of jumping out of an airplane to experience a thrilling skydive. When you are about to embark on something new, your ego senses that change is imminent; in its panic, your ego will betray you if you allow it. It will plant all sorts of ridiculous scenarios in your head in order to keep you from acting. In your quiet moments, it will whisper in your ear that you will lose your job, home, family, and livelihood if you make the “wrong” decision. It’s most fervent desire is to have you frozen in fear until the wonderful opportunity—whether it is that completed project, the fantastic promotion, your big move, or the new job—passes you by.
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