“Most of the problems in life are because of two reasons – we act without thinking, or we keep thinking without acting.”

~ Unknown

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The Two Main Problems In Life (& What To Do About Them)

This is another quote I ran across on Pinterest, and while you may have heard it before, I would like to bring a new “Life from the Top of the Mind” perspective to its meaning in order to support you in using its wisdom to create the life you want.

First, of course, it’s important to note that there is value in the quote as it is stated. Certainly we have seen how acting without thinking can be problematic, because we find ourselves doing or saying things that actually impede our ability to deal successfully with people and life. Rather than moving forward, we often spend our time cleaning up or apologizing for actions we took because we didn’t give them the thought and consideration that they deserved. In addition, the tendency to keep thinking without acting can either keep us from moving forward on the good ideas we have in life, or at its worst, leave us ruminating over decisions and feeling paralyzed.

While most of us have experienced one or both of these from time to time, few know why these tendencies are so common, and most importantly, what we can do about them. From my “Top Of The Mind” perspective, all of this has to do with how the brain processes information. In other words, the middle brain or limbic system, is responsible for keeping us alive, and therefore is constantly scanning the environment for signs of danger. If someone is throwing something at our head (a baseball, for example) and we catch it in our peripheral vision, we will automatically duck without having to think about it. This is the brain reacting in exactly the way it is supposed to, in that the data goes directly to the brainstem, bypassing the neocortex, or the Top of the Mind.

Unfortunately this scanner, processor, router part of the brain tends to be hypersensitive to anything it perceives as dangerous, and therefore, often has us reacting without thinking in situations that deserve more thought, or purposeful attention. These could include heated discussions with the important people in our lives, or any situation where thinking before acting would be beneficial. The solution to this problem is to train this gatekeeper part of the brain (the limbic system) to send data up to our neocortex (the upper 80% of the brain, or The Top of the Mind) so that we can act on it more purposefully. This is what I teach to individuals and organizations around the world.

The second problem, our tendency to keep thinking without acting, can also keep us from being happy and successful, because we never put our ideas into motion. Now, when this is just a passing thought, it probably doesn’t negatively effect our lives, but when we spend a lot of time ruminating about what to do, we can become paralyzed with fear and uncertainty.

The Top of the Mind solution to this problem is to ensure that we are truly thinking about an action versus worrying about it. In other words, if fear of failure and/or rejection is driving our thought process, we are by definition coming from the fear-based, or reactive part of the brain. Therefore, again, the idea is to shift to the clear, confident, creative part of the brain (the neocortex) and then, reexamine the issue in a way that allows us to come up with the action most likely to succeed.

Of course, even with this process, we can’t guarantee that we will always choose the right action. However, given that we have chosen to act “on purpose,” and in a way we would recommend to someone we love, we can take what we learned from the process and choose again… if we are coming at the problem from the “Top of the Mind.”

This is also what I go around the world teaching individuals and organizations to do… i.e., shift to the upper 80% of the brain when stressed or frustrated, and from this more purposeful perspective, train the limbic system to interpret data in such a way that it continues to access the clear, confident, creative part of who we are, regardless of the situation.

Therefore, if you have found yourself acting without thinking in the past, or thinking (worrying) without acting, I encourage you to see this quote and comment as good information about what isn’t working and what you can do about it. Further, If you would like me to teach you and/or your organization to access the part of the brain that makes the best decisions and then puts them into action, feel free to contact me from my website: www.BillCrawfordPhD.com.

Until then, here is to you bringing more clarity, confidence, and creativity to everything you do, and living “Life from the Top of the Mind.”

Take care and God bless, Dr. Bill