 When asked what the enemy of success is, many people are quick to mention habits like laziness, procrastination, negligence, etc. However, one enemy of success that a lot of people do not pay attention to is overthinking. It is deroute. In this video, I will share 9 steps to take so that you can stop overthinking everything you do. 1. Be aware of your thoughts. The first step in putting a stop to overthinking about everything is to acknowledge that you are indeed a warrior. Although it's like no big deal, it is not as easy as you think. The reason is that as humans, it is hard for us as human beings to admit we've got a lot of problem. However, realizing that you overthink is the only way you will even have a desire to put a stop to it or make a change. So the next time you catch yourself worrying about something, press a pause button. You don't have to dig into the underlying cause of that worry just yet. Instead, acknowledge the fact that you might be overthinking the subject. The simple pause and acknowledgement can help you come back to reality of the situation and make it feel less scary and overwhelming. 2. Acknowledge that some of your thoughts are false. The human mind has a way of projecting negativity and fear, especially when it senses that it is about to be stretched. It thinks about all forms of negative what-ifs that are often unreal. The truth is that even though you can control everything that happens around you, you have the power to take control of your thoughts. So even when negative self-talk creeps in, you don't have to believe it. You can acknowledge it and you should. But you have a choice on whether to accept the lies or not. Just because your mind is telling you to think about something or be fearful about something doesn't mean you have to. Interesting concept, isn't it? The best part is you can put the steep into practice every time worry tries to crawl its way in and ruin your day. 3. Put things on a broader perspective. It is effortless to fall into the trap of overthinking minor things in life. Many times, the things we think about are issues that do not warrant distress. So before you start worrying yourself over a matter, please put it in the broader perspective. Ask yourself, will this matter in five years or even in five weeks? When you widen the view by using this simple question, you will observe that the thing you even worry about is not important at all. This knowledge can make you quickly snap out of overthinking and help you to let go of that situation. It allows you to stop thinking about something finally and to focus your time and energy on something else that does matter. 4. Let go of the past. Overthinkers often ruminate about the past. By so doing, they exert so much energy on the past, thinking about what if I wish and I should have. This attitude is inappropriate because not only do the thoughts create fear in your mind, it removes you from the present and the energy used to think is being wasted. The past cannot be changed, but you can change the lessons, meanings and perspective you extract from it. When you accept the past for what it was, you will leave yourself from its weight. You will then free your mind from the burdens, mistakes or gorgeous of the past that stop you from taking action in the present. Learning to let go of the past is something we must continuously work on because holding on is one reason you keep overthinking things. Letting go clears up the mental space that was occupied by overthinking, giving room for fresh and informative thoughts. 5. Go easy on yourself. Always bear in mind that you are not perfect and you don't have to be. That statement is more than the motivational speech. It is a reality. Perfectionism is often associated with overthinking and anxiety, but the two work in a vicious cycle. It is not easy to admit and accept imperfections, but when you realize no one is perfect, you can take baby steps towards letting go of your worrying thoughts and give yourself some slack. 6. Focus on what you can control. According to author Amy Moran, when you find yourself worrying, take a minute to examine the things you have control over. When you observe that you are overthinking about an issue, take a step back and broaden your perspective. Ask yourself, do I have control over the situation? If it is something you can control, then take the next step in the video. But if the issue is beyond your control, then let it go and focus on the things you can control because overthinking will not change anything. For instance, will your continuous thinking stop the rain from falling? No, it won't because you cannot control the weather. In his book, Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey refers to things we can control as a circle of influence. He noted that if we focus on our circle of influence, the things we can control, the circle of things we can't control will become smaller. 7. Seek solution. As Tony says, identify your problems, but give your power and energy to solutions. If you are on this step, it is assumed you have identified and acknowledged the real reasons for your stress and anxiety, and have also recognized the ones you have control over. Now, the next step is for you to seek for solutions. If you want to stop overthinking things, you must be ready to take charge of your life and find answers. If you are overthinking your skills by stress at work, rethink your career path if you are not where you want to be in life. Set goals for yourself so that you can get there. These are big moves and you can't afford to be lousy with them. Seek for counsel. Ask questions. Study and find the best solution. Remember, no one controls your reality but you. 8. Take actions. Some people end their journey at solution seeking. They find a solution but do not apply them. And so, after some time, fall back into overthinking. But when you get started with taking actions consistently each day, then you will procrastinate less by overthinking. Those actions do not necessarily need to be taken at once. It may take weeks, months or even years. It does not matter how long it takes, what matters is your consistency. Taking small steps forward and only focusing on getting one thing done at a time is one habit that produces fruitful results. It works so well because you do not feel overwhelmed and so, you do not need to flee into procrastination or lazy inaction. And even though you may be afraid, taking just a step is such a small thing that drives fear away. 9. Set short time limits for decisions. If you do not have a time limit for when you must make a decision and take action, then you can keep turning your thoughts around and around and view them from angles in your mind for a very long time. So, learn to become better at making decisions and to spring into action by setting deadlines in your daily life. Deadlines are not only meant for the completion of tasks. You can also set decision-making deadlines. In so doing, you will be able to take swift decisions and not overthink. Whether they are bidding themselves up over a mistake they made yesterday or they are afraid about how they are going to succeed tomorrow, the stressing thoughts plague over thinkers. This thoughts drastically hampered them from making the best of the present.