Hold That Thought…

This week I've been thinking hard about helping people change careers (and what that means for my own: more speaking in front of others). Here are three things on that theme to turn overthinking into expert thinking:

1. Another fantastic post by David Spinks on navigating career lostness​
   ​
2. What if clear thinking is overrated? Here's Paras Chopra on how to be a messy thinker
   ​​
3. “We're taking all our wonky pots of nerves spinning there on our anxiety wheels, mashing them up, and reshaping them into our excited mugs.” — How I'm reframing my thoughts about today's presentations​
   ​

For this week's underthinking link, check out this satisfying tesselation kit​

Extra thoughts…

This morning, I attended my fortnightly supervision group and unexpectedly found myself in the hotseat when the designated coach for the session had internet issues. That meant it was my turn to coach someone, in front of the group. And because there were no volunteers, I ended up coaching the supervisor, who is a Master Certified Coach and someone I look up to. So, no overthinking happening there!

Shortly after that session, I popped back onto Zoom to co-host a webinar with my friend and collaborator, Meltem Naz Kaso, for a Meet and Greet for helping UXers transition out of the industry​

Both events went exceedingly well, as I'm sure tonight's second Meet and Greet session will, too.

But that's not to say that the experience in my head matches that sentiment completely.

As a soothing reminder to myself, I revisited my post-presentation vulnerability hangover story from last year. All of it is still relevant, but like last week's 100 wants list, it's due an update. Proof that we're always evolving and making progress, even if the thinking that goes on in our heads feels messy.

What's your take? Is clear thinking overrated? Overthinking undervalued? Is underthinking the best part?
Kim

---

If you have been enjoying Hold That Thought, here are two quick ways you might support me: share a thought or send me a pebble​

As always, gems and other finds here:

• ​What my week was about — my Friday Substack post where I share the most interesting links that didn't fit it into this short newsletter
• Browse podcast episodes and read long-form insights on my website​
• Visit the newsletter archive for all my worksheets and other free tools

Hope you enjoy these things as much as I do creating and sharing them!

---

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​

Staney Brae, Dunrossness, Shetland ZE2 9JG

I used to hate seeing my unsubscriber count go up. Now I love it. Here's why. If what I'm doing here isn't landing, please feel free to unsubscribe. Or adjust your preferences​

​