This One is for the Overthinkers!
Title: Don't Believe Everything You Think: Why Your Thinking Is The Beginning & End Of Suffering
Author: Joseph Nguyen
Genre: nonfiction philosophy self-help
Summary: Don't Believe Everything You Think by Joseph Nguyen is one for the overthinkers…me…I am “overthinkers”! This short read is wisdom-filled and suggests that the root cause of much of our suffering is thinking.
The simplicity of this made me a little skeptical, but by the end of the book I left with some great takeaways. We are naturally in a state of peace when we are in tune with ourselves, with God, and follow our intuition. Things get murky when we start to add in outside opinions and let fear creep in.
Takeaways
Two Sources of Goals
One may ask, if thinking causes suffering then how am I supposed to plan and set future goals which require thinking?! When reflecting on what you want out of life there are two sources for your goals: goals created out of inspiration and goals created out of desperation. You will know based on how you feel. Inspiration feels light, expansive, inspired, and happy. Desperation feels like scarcity, urgency, heavy and like an obligation. Note to self: Seek goals out of inspiration!
Strive to Flow
Strive to be in a constant state of flow. When we’re connected to ourselves, God, and things around us, we feel steady, tasks feel doable and enjoyable. According to Nguyen “Our part is to hold in our minds what we want and get into a state of non-thinking. This enables us to access our infinite intelligence (God) so that the answers are revealed to us exactly when we need it”. This takes faith and consistency. Note to self: Instead of overthinking, follow your intuition. You already have the answers inside of you!
Your intuition will always lead you to where you need to go and what you should do at any moment in time.
I would recommend this book to anyone who needs a reminder not to overthink, anyone questioning their intuition, and anyone who loves a good nonfiction self-help book from time to time!
- Maya & The Spine Down
