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.
Inspired by an electricity outage, an unexpected vet trip (all fine now), and everything else, this week I've been thinking about how we adapt to changing circumstances. Here are three things on that theme to turn overthinking into expert thinking:
“Nowadays, whenever I feel scared in the face of a decision and yearn for the safety of an optimizing formula, I try to remind myself that there’s another way of feeling safe. It’s not about perfection, about invulnerability, about control. It’s about leaning into the fact that we are imperfect and vulnerable creatures and that even when we’re trying our hardest there will be some things that are beyond our control — and, exactly for that reason, we deserve compassion.” — You can't optimize your way to being a good person | Vox
“Steep power gradients are the number one inhibitor of psychological safety, and addressing power gradients is one of the first things to do in order to improve it.” — Typologies of Power | Psych Safety
“Birds didn’t evolve feathers for flight, but for warmth or attraction. This ‘exaptation’ – a trait repurposed for a new use – is crucial for survival in changing environments.” —The Stormtrooper Problem | Farnam Street
Extra thoughts…
I love this reminder to keep going:
“People pay to see others believe in themselves.” — Kim Gordon from Sonic Youth
How are you dealing with change these days and what's helping?
Kim
PS. For this week's unthinking link, feel free to scream into the void (be sure to mute your speakers if you prefer to silently scream)
If you know somebody who might get value from this newsletter, why not share it with them? Forward this email to help them gain more clarity and confidence about what they're doing, too:
If you enjoy Hold That Thought and want more like it, see my Substack, where every Friday I share the most interesting links I've read during the week from A to zeugma
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.
