The Thriving Christian Artist

Overcoming Overthinking, Indecision & Your Comfort Zone

June 20, 2024 Matt Tommey: Artist, Best-Selling Author, Speaker, Entrepreneur and Artist Mentor

Are you struggling with overthinking, indecision, or a lack of self-discipline in your artistic journey? Discover how to break free from these common roadblocks with practical insights and spiritual encouragement in this uplifting episode of The Thriving Christian Artist. I’m Matt Tommey, and I'll share revelations from recent coaching sessions in our mastery program, focusing on how overthinking can mask itself as wisdom and paralyze your progress. You'll learn how stepping out in faith, as inspired by scriptures like 2 Timothy 1:7 and 2 Corinthians 5:7, can empower you to overcome these mental barriers.

We also tackle the crippling effects of indecision, often rooted in fear of failure or success. By aligning your identity with who God says you are, you can embrace the truth of Philippians 4:13 and unlock your full potential as an artist. This episode is packed with actionable advice and spiritual guidance to help you renew your mind, make decisive steps forward, and live the life God intended for you. Tune in and be inspired to move past your fears and fully step into your God-given potential.

Join us inside the Created to Thrive Artist Mentoring Program at http://www.matttommeymentoring.com/artmentor 

Speaker 1:

Welcome to the Thriving Christian Artist, the podcast, where we hope you connect with God to bust through the roadblocks that have held you back for years, create the work you love and really live the life you know. God created you to live as an artist in His kingdom. I'm Matt Tommey, your host. Let's get started. Well, hey, my friend, it's Matt, so glad you're here with me on the podcast today. I was doing some coaching calls the other day, some small group calls in our mastery program, which is where we get to work individually and in small groups with our members, and such a phenomenal experience.

Speaker 1:

And I was just seeing, you know, things over and over and over again in people's lives as they were talking and you know it's funny. People think, well, only people that have small businesses are just trying to get started to have these issues. But really all of us can have these issues, no matter what size our business is. And it started me thinking about really the three main reasons why a lot of artists don't experience progress and growth and and really lasting change in their life. They want it, they want those things to happen, but they just keep psyching themselves out on a daily basis and are not able to see those things happen. And those three things are really overthinking, indecision and the lack of self-discipline. You know, overthinking most of the time is really just fear and perfectionism and internal feelings of inadequacy that often disguise themselves as what we think is wisdom. Right, we think we're doing our due diligence, we think we're being careful, but really we're just on this roller coaster and this gerbil wheel, if you will, of overthinking, round and round and round and round. And that constant over-analysis can really paralyze you instead of really inform you and empower you, and it makes the journey toward your God-given potential really seem insurmountable, Like you just can't get over it.

Speaker 1:

But you know, I love that scripture in second Timothy, one seven, where it says remember, for God has not given us a spirit of fear, but what a power of power and of love and a sound mind. God didn't design you to be on this gerbil wheel of overthinking all the time, and so when you catch yourself in that, the antidote from that is really to walk by faith, right, second Corinthians 5, 7 talks about that. You know, we don't walk by sight, we don't walk by just the things that we can figure out in our own mind, but we walk by faith, and so at some point you got to step out of the boat, right Onto the water and start trusting that God will uphold you, even if you don't have all the information. I think that you know whoever said years ago good is the enemy of best, the old adage. I just can't agree with that more, and sometimes we're waiting for the perfect thing when really we just need to step out, quit overthinking it and trust God for the results as we walk by faith.

Speaker 1:

The second thing, then, is really indecision, which can come out of that whole overthinking thing, right, because overthinking leads to this paralyzation and then it just leads to this flip-floppy kind of mentality that we can have in our heart, and then it just leads to this flip floppy kind of mentality that we can have in our heart. But you know, indecision a lot of times is really about the fear of success or the fear of failure that's rooted in feelings of inadequacy. This is why identity is so important, right? Who do you believe you are? Who do you believe God's created you to be? What do you believe about God? What do you believe he has for you in this life? That's why we talk about so much in the mentoring program and on this podcast, about renewing your mind and aligning with who God says you are, so that that is the dominating narrative and the framework, if you will, that you're working from in your life. See, indecision that's based in inadequacy and fear, and all that sort of thing causes you to miss out on the blessings and opportunities that God has prepared for you. But what's the antidote to that? Well, philippians 4.13, I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me. And so we realize that if Jesus is providing us the strength internally, through the power of the Holy Spirit and his kingdom living inside of us, we can make decisions decisively rooted in faith and not fear. We can remember that scripture Jeremiah 29, 11, that says you know God's got plans to prosper you, not to harm you, to give you a hope and a future. And when you install that belief system and cultivate that inside your heart, that can become the dominating framework from which you operate your life.

Speaker 1:

And then the third thing I would say is just this lack of self-discipline, which again is fed from overthinking and indecision, just kind of letting life happen to you. And a lot of times indecision and lack of self-discipline come from this kind of cultivating comfort in your current status quo and that being more appealing to you and more comfortable to you than actually stepping out in faith and trusting the promise of potential change. And what can happen if you actually made a new decision. See, embracing self-discipline in your life, no matter what it is, whether it's the food you eat, the activity in your life, the way you're showing up in the studio, or pursuing and understand new things in the business world. It is all crucial for your growth.

Speaker 1:

And it makes me think about Hebrews 12. It says no discipline seems pleasant at the time, right, but painful, but later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. And I just think, wow, we have to come to the place where we realize that, hey, if we want to grow, we're going to have to do the hard things. We're going to have to put on our big boy pants and big girl pants and do the things that we need to do to bring ourselves to the table of growth and opportunities. We got to lead ourself, we got to take ownership of our journey and cultivate, you know, self-discipline, and and lead uh ourself, with, of course, the Holy Spirit's guidance, so that we can align ourselves with everything that God has for us.

Speaker 1:

I love first Corinthians, nine 27. It says, but I disciplined my body and I keep it under control Lest, after preaching to others, I myself should be disqualified. Listen, I don't know about you, but I don't want to be disqualified. I want to be a person that is cooperating with all that God has for me, so that my artistic journey is not just about creating art but it's really about God using art and using everything he's called me to, to become more like Jesus, to become the person that God created for me to be.

Speaker 1:

Listen, if you will begin to walk by faith and be decisive and lead yourself under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, I promise you can begin to see growth in your life. You know one of the things that I found over the years that those things are required, but they're really difficult to maintain if you're by yourself, and that's why we created the Created to Thrive Artist Mentoring Program. Listen, if you've been listening to me for years and you're still on the fence trying to do this thing yourself, still on the roller coaster of overthinking and indecision and lack of self-discipline and man, I'm doing the same thing this year I was five years ago I'm not seeing any forward growth. My business is still not growing. I'm still frustrated as an artist.

Speaker 1:

Listen, I want to invite you, join us inside of Created to Thrive Since 2016,. We have proven results with a simple, proven technique pathway for you to begin to see results not only in your life, to grow in the Lord, but also grow in your art and in your business so that you can begin to create the kind of consistent income you need to pursue everything that God's got for you as an artist in his kingdom. You can find out all the information right here on the link in the show notes. And again, thanks for joining me here on the podcast. Be sure to share, like, do all the stuff, leave a comment, and I would love to know that this podcast is a blessing to you.

Speaker 1:

All right, until next time, my friend, thanks for being here and remember you were created to thrive. Bye, hey. Thanks so much for spending a few minutes with me today on the podcast. Listen, I hope it's been a huge encouragement to you on your journey as an artist. Hey, also, before you leave, make sure to hit the subscribe button so you don't miss any of the other episodes of the Thriving Christian Artist podcast, and also be sure to connect with me on Facebook, instagram or at my website, which is matttommymentoringcom. Until next time, remember you were created to thrive. Bye-bye, thank you.