Sometimes we are surrounded by so many choices it can become overwhelming. Overwhelm can lead to being frozen and unable to make any decision at all. Add in the idea that the resulting decision needs to be perfect, and indecision can lead to a kind of paralysis by analysis.

About 15 years ago, I bought a new home in a new town where I didn’t know anyone. Add to that being recently divorced, and the number of life changes that were happening at one time seemed overwhelming.

Since I could choose any paint color I wanted in my new home and I was feeling particularly colorful in my new horizons, I began the search for the perfect paint color for my living room. I spent hours in the paint department of the local big box store. I made so many trips for small pots of paints, swatches to match, and colors to mix that one of the old-timers in the department began to know me by sight.

As I returned one day for yet another color exploration, that old timer gently tapped my arm, looked me in the eye, and said: “Lady, you can always paint over it.” And just like that, I was freed from the trance of too many choices and indecision. And just like that, I took a deep breath and made a choice. The relief that came from making that choice left me feeling calm for the first time in awhile as I acclimated to the new town relocation.

Incidentally, I didn’t like that first color once I had painted a full wall. And guess what, the next color wasn’t too great either. But the third color was a keeper as long as I lived there. And here’s another thing. I remember the first color - a lavender that didn’t work. The 2nd color was called wheat. I don’t remember the 3rd color that I liked so much and looked at every day for a few years. But what a freedom it can be to find what I didn’t want. It brought me one step closer to what I did find to be, like goldilocks, just right.

Letting go of those locked thought patterns can lead to real freedom. A locked thought pattern is a form of trance we engage in when our brain becomes so focused on on solving an issue. Hypnotherapy and wakeful dreaming can help unlock the thought patterns - without the paint.