Why you feel stuck — and how to get motivated - Shannon Odell

翻译人员: Liwen Huang 校对人员: Sophia Ye

You're in the middle of a project when suddenly moving forward seems impossible.

你正在进行一个项目， 突然间前进似乎变得不可能。

Maybe you don't know what the next step is.

也许你不知道下一步该怎么做，

Or perhaps you’ve faced setbacks, and you’re starting to think,

或者你遇到了挫折，开始想:

“what’s even the point?”

“这到底有什么意义？”

Many of us have experienced feeling stuck.

我们许多人都有过被困住的感觉。

It can happen when tackling something as simple as a term paper,

这种情况可能发生在处理 简单任务时，比如写学期论文，

or as monumental as social inequality or the climate crisis.

或是在处理更有深远意义的事情时， 比如社会不平等或气候危机。

So, are there ways to get unstuck?

那么，有没有办法脱困呢？

People often report feeling highly motivated

人们常常反映，

在项目开始和结束时感到积极性很高，

at the start and end of a project,

but the middle can feel untethered.

但中间可能会感到力所不及。

Psychologists call this the “stuck in the middle” effect,

心理学家称之为“卡在中间” 效应，

and it’s thought to be caused by a shift in perspective that happens

人们认为这是由视角转变引起的，

as you move closer to your goals.

这种转变发生在离目标越来越近的时候。

When you start working towards something, any progress can feel like a win,

当你开始努力做某件事时， 任何进展可能都感觉像是胜利，

as we tend to compare ourselves against where we started.

因为我们倾向于将自己与起点进行比较。

For example, when someone starts training for a marathon,

例如，当一个人开始为跑马拉松训练时，

accomplishing even a short jog can feel motivating.

即使是完成短距离的慢跑 也会觉得有动力。

But the longer you work on something,

但是，你做一件事的时间越长，

the more likely it is that your focus shifts to your end goal.

注意力转移到最终目标的可能性就越大。

In other words, rather than seeing how far you've come,

换句话说，你不仅看不到 自己已经走了多远，

it’s easy to become frustrated by how far you still need to go.

反而容易因为还需要走多远而感到沮丧。

A simple way to avoid these motivational sinkholes is to break your pursuits

避开这些动力陷落坑的一个简单方法是

into smaller, more achievable sub-goals.

将追求分成更小、更容易实现的子目标。

This creates less daunting, incremental benchmarks to compare your progress to.

这设立了不那么艰巨的增量基准 来比较你的进度。

It also creates more opportunities to celebrate wins along the way.

也创造了更多的机会庆祝过程中的胜利。

This is especially important when working towards bigger societal goals.

这在努力实现更大的 社会目标时尤其重要。

These issues are, by nature, large-scale and complex—

这些问题本质上是大规模的、复杂的——

no single action or person is likely to solve them.

不可能由一个单独的行动或个人解决。

So if you only focus on the end goal, it’s easy to feel personally powerless.

因此，如果你只关注最终目标， 作为个人很容易感到无能为力。

And the enormity of these problems may be why so many people,

而这些问题的艰巨性 可能是为什么这么多人，

including those who care deeply about the issues,

包括那些深切关注这些问题的人，

think that progress is impossible, leading them to disengage.

认为不可能取得进展， 从而导致他们不再感兴趣的原因。

In fact, one 2021 global survey of young people

实际上，2021 年一项 针对年轻人的全球调查发现，

found that over half believe humanity is doomed.

超过一半的人认为人类注定要灭亡。

But despite these obstacles,

但是，尽管存在这些障碍，

some people do manage to stay motivated, engaged, and unstuck.

有些人还是设法保持了积极性、 参与度并摆脱了困境。

So, how do they do it?

那么，他们是怎么做的？

Surprisingly, it’s not all about how concerned you are

令人惊讶的是， 这不完全取决于你有多担心，

or how much you care about the issue in front of you.

或对眼前的问题有多关心。

For instance, research has found that among those who feel the most alarmed

例如，研究发现，在最担忧

about climate change,

气候变化的人中，

only about a third take regular climate action.

只有大约三分之一的人 经常采取气候行动。

However, a unifying factor among those who do take action

不过，在采取行动的人中， 一个相同的因素是

is the confidence that their personal involvement could make a difference.

他们相信个人参与可以有所作为。

And this belief isn't misguided.

而且这种信念并没有错。

The long history of social progress proves that change is possible.

社会进步的悠久历史证明， 变革是可能的。

And individual actions— whether it’s volunteering, voting, protesting,

而个人行动，无论是 志愿服务、投票、抗议

or personally contributing to a communal goal—

还是个人为共同目标做出贡献，

are key to building the collective momentum

都是增强集体势头的关键，

that has tackled seemingly impenetrable issues.

这种势头解决了看似难以逾越的问题。

It’s not to say that concern and passion have no place.

这并不是说担忧和激情没有立足之地。

Moral outrage, or anger, can help us focus on what’s at stake.

义愤或愤怒可以帮助我们 专注于处在危急关头的事。

And when it’s correctly harnessed, outrage can be a powerful unifier.

如果正确地利用， 愤怒可以成为强大的团结力。

In the American Civil Rights Movement, shared anger over systemic racism,

在美国民权运动中，对系统性种族主义、

injustice, and violence against Black people

不公正和暴力伤害黑人的共愤

galvanized diverse communities to work together in the fight for equality.

激起不同社区共同努力争取平等。

And bringing together people of different backgrounds and mindsets

将背景和观念不同的人团结起来

is essential to building longevity and resilience in any movement.

在任何运动中对增强 持久力和恢复力都至关重要。

In this way, thinking about how you can apply your own unique perspective,

这样，考虑如何用自己独特的视角、

knowledge, and expertise to promoting change can be helpful.

知识和专长来促进变革可能会有所帮助。

And finding community has plenty of other benefits.

寻找社区还有很多其他好处。

Just witnessing other people at work has been shown to motivate personal action,

事实证明，仅仅是看到其他人在行动 就能激发个人行动，

creating a positive feedback loop.

形成一个积极的反馈循环。

Collaboration can help you better problem solve

当你不确定下一步该怎么做时，

when you’re unsure what the next step is.

合作可以帮助你更好地解决问题。

And the support and encouragement of others

如果你感到疲惫、沮丧或被困住了，

can serve as a source of inspiration and joy

他人的支持和鼓励

if you’re feeling exhausted, defeated, or stuck.

可以成为灵感和快乐的源泉。

The path to conquering any goal is long and bound to hit sticking points.

征服任何目标的道路都是漫长的， 必然会遇到障碍。

Often, the best way to get unstuck is just to take any action,

通常，摆脱困境的最佳方法 就是采取行动，

no matter how small or imperfect the outcome.

无论结果多么微小或不完美。

Progress starts with writing that next sentence, running that extra mile,

进展始于写出下一个句子，多跑一英里，

or even casting that vote to build a better future.

甚至是投出那一票，建设更美好的未来。