Self-Help Psychology Productivity

Soundtracks: The Surprising Solution to Overthinking (Summary)

by Jon Acuff

Best-selling author Jon Acuff was on a flight, parched, but too afraid to ask the flight attendant for a free refill on his Diet Coke. Why? His internal 'soundtrack' was playing a familiar tune: 'Don't be a bother. They're busy. You're being cheap.' This tiny, irrational fear revealed a massive truth: our lives are run by repetitive thoughts we rarely question, and most of them are secretly holding us back from success and happiness.

Your Brain Has a Playlist, and It's Probably Broken

Overthinking isn't a character flaw; it's the act of listening to a 'broken soundtrack'—a repetitive, unhelpful, or untrue thought. The first step to fixing overthinking is to identify which negative thoughts are on repeat in your mind.

A woman who wanted to start a business was paralyzed by the soundtrack, 'I'm not a real business person.' When Acuff asked her why she believed that, she realized it stemmed from a single offhand comment a college professor made 15 years earlier. Naming the source of the soundtrack drained its power.

You Can't Just Stop a Thought; You Must Replace It

Telling yourself to 'just stop thinking about it' is like trying not to think of a pink elephant—it's impossible. The only effective method is to 'retire' the old soundtrack and actively 'replace' it with a new, better one, then 'repeat' it until it becomes the new default.

When facing a daunting project, Acuff's old soundtrack was 'This is impossible.' He replaced it with 'I've done difficult things before.' He wrote this new soundtrack on a sticky note and put it on his monitor, repeating it every time the old feeling of overwhelm crept in, eventually making it his automatic response.

Honest Optimism Beats Fake Positivity

Vague, unbelievable affirmations like 'I am a billionaire' don't work because your brain knows they're false. A powerful new soundtrack must be something you can genuinely believe is true or at least possible, grounding your optimism in reality.

Instead of telling himself 'I'm the greatest writer in the world,' which his brain would reject, Acuff chose the soundtrack, 'I've been a professional writer for 20 years.' This was an undeniable fact that gave him confidence, unlike a hollow affirmation that felt like a lie.

Gather Data to Disprove Your Fears

Broken soundtracks often feel true because they're based on emotion, not facts. One of the best ways to retire a broken soundtrack is to actively look for evidence that proves it wrong.

A manager was convinced her team hated her and that every meeting was a failure. Her soundtrack was, 'I'm a terrible leader.' Acuff advised her to start every meeting by asking her team for a recent 'win.' Not only did this prove her team was succeeding, but their positive responses provided concrete data to disprove her negative soundtrack.

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