Transcription
Translator: Hani Eldalees You are in the middle of a project when moving forward suddenly seems impossible. Perhaps you do not know what the next step is. Or perhaps you have faced setbacks, and started to think, "What is the benefit?" Many of us have suffered from the feeling that they are stuck. That can happen when addressing something simple like a research paper, or massive like social inequality or the climate crisis. So, are there ways to get rid of the problem?
People often report feeling very enthusiastic at the beginning and end of a project, but the middle can feel unconstrained. Psychologists call this effect "stuck in the middle," and it is believed to be caused by a shift in perspective that occurs as you approach your goals. When you start working towards something, any progress can seem like a win, as we tend to compare ourselves to where we started from. For example, when someone starts training for a marathon, practicing even a short run can be motivating. But the longer you work on something, the more likely your focus is to shift to your final goal. In other words, instead of seeing how far you have come, it is easy to feel frustrated by how far you still need to go.
There is a simple way to avoid these motivational drains, which is to divide your endeavors into smaller, more achievable sub-goals. This creates less difficult incremental benchmarks to compare your progress against. It also creates more opportunities to celebrate victories along the way. This is especially important when working towards larger societal goals. These issues, by their nature, are large-scale and complex - unlikely to be solved by a single action or a single person. So if you focus only on the final goal, it is easy to feel personal helplessness. And the enormity of these problems may be the reason why many people, including those who care deeply about the issues, believe that progress is impossible, which leads them to disengage. In fact, a 2021 global youth survey found that more than half of them believe humanity is doomed to fail.
But despite these obstacles, some people manage to stay motivated, engaged, and unstuck. So, how do they do that? Surprisingly, it is not just about how anxious you are or how much you care about the issue at hand. For example, research has found that among those who feel the most anxiety about climate change, only about a third of them take regular climate action. However, the unifying factor among those who take action is confidence that their personal involvement can make a difference. And this belief is not misleading. The long history of social progress proves that change is possible. And individual actions - whether volunteering, voting, protesting, or personally contributing to a societal goal - are fundamental to building the collective momentum that has addressed seemingly impenetrable issues.
This does not mean that anxiety and emotion have no place. Moral outrage or anger can help us focus on what is at stake. And when harnessed correctly, anger can be a powerful unifier. In the American Civil Rights Movement, shared anger at systemic racism, injustice, and violence against Black people motivated diverse communities to work together in the struggle for equality. And bringing together people from different backgrounds and mindsets is essential for building longevity and resilience in any movement. In this way, thinking about how to apply your unique perspective, knowledge, and experience to promote change can be beneficial.
And finding community has many other benefits. It has been proven that simply watching other people at work motivates personal action, creating a positive feedback loop. Collaboration can help you solve problems better when you are unsure of the next step. And the support and encouragement of others can be a source of inspiration and joy if you feel overwhelmed, defeated, or stuck.
The road to conquering any goal is long and bound to reach points of contention. Often, the best way to get rid of the problem is simply to take any action, regardless of how small or incomplete the result. Progress begins with writing the next sentence, or running an extra distance, or even casting that vote to build a better future.