Helping overwhelmed creatives, innovators, and leaders turn overthinking into expert thinking…and action! Three useful things every Thursday to gain clarity, get more done, and feel great about it.
A slightly more charitable read
Published 23 days ago • 2 min read
When it's hard to be generous…
Small dog jumping over a low hurdle, by woodsilver from Pixabay.
This week I've been thinking about generosity. Here are three things on that theme to turn overthinking into expert thinking:
(This edition is longer than usual — I loathe making you spend time reading things from your inbox, but this week's article is still a WIP; see #3.)
“The point isn't to try to be more generous than you currently are. It's to notice the moments when you naturally and effortlessly already do feel that way, then not to screw it up with overthinking.” — Oliver Burkeman on just doing the thing
“Great cultures always have some form of generosity whether it is compensation, benefits, forgiveness of mistakes that encourage risk taking and more.” — Generosity as a Strategy by Rishad Tobaccowala
“She said that specifically to hurt me.” “They just want my money, nothing more.” “They voted this way because they’re stupid and selfish.”
These are all things I've thought this week. It is my own fear that has led me to not-so-nice interpretations of others. But also to the topic of this week's article — about how we might take a more charitable read of situations that irk us. It is a work in progress, and I could use your help to finish it please!
I’m starting to think this topic is about something bigger; that charitable thinking is a mindset, not just a response. So I offer you to reflect on these questions with me — and would love to hear your thoughts, if you feel like reply to this email:
What if taking a more charitable read isn’t about how we interpret a situation? Or even about managing our reactions. What if it’s about trying to be more generous with our thinking?
Where is generous thinking most challenging for you? If you have any examples (like mine above), I'd love to hear them!
How might we lower the bar for ourselves, so that this comes more easily? And the more charitable interpretation becomes our default?
Extra thoughts…
This week's underthinking link takes us to the internet fridge for some poetry. I've made a start and am curious to see what it looks like by this time next week.
Also, Happy Thanksgiving to my fellow Americans. Many tables are challenging this year, so I hope you manage your way through yours as best as possible. Even if that's simply just being kind to yourself as you muddle through it all — because if we can't be more generous within, what hope is there for everything out there?
Be well, Kim
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Hello! My name is Kim Witten and I’ve spent four decades overthinking absolutely everything. I’ve turned this ability into a super skill to get stuff done and now my mission is to help others do the same. Read more about my journey
Helping overwhelmed creatives, innovators, and leaders turn overthinking into expert thinking…and action! Three useful things every Thursday to gain clarity, get more done, and feel great about it.
