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

譯者: Lilian Chiu 審譯者: 麗玲 辛

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

你正在進行一項專案計畫， 突然覺得好像無法再有進展。

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

也許你不知道下一步怎麼做。

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

或者你面臨了一些挫折， 因此開始思考：

“what’s even the point?”

「這到底有什麼意義？」

Many of us have experienced feeling stuck.

許多人都有過遇到瓶頸的感覺。

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

瓶頸可能會出現在處理簡單的 事情時，比如寫期末報告，

or as monumental as social inequality or the climate crisis.

也可能出現在面對重大議題時， 如解決社會不平等或氣候危機。

So, are there ways to get unstuck?

那有沒有辦法突破瓶頸？

People often report feeling highly motivated

人們通常表示自己在專案計畫的 起始和最終階段都會動力十足，

at the start and end of a project,

but the middle can feel untethered.

但在中間過程則感到無所依從。

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

心理學家稱之為「卡在中間」效應，

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

學者認為成因是當你在接近目標時， 會產生觀點的轉變。

as you move closer to your goals.

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

當你開始努力朝某個目標邁進時， 任何進展感覺都像是成功。

as we tend to compare ourselves against where we started.

因為我們通常會把自己的進展 和一開始做比較。

For example, when someone starts training for a marathon,

比如，有人開始為馬拉松做訓練，

accomplishing even a short jog can feel motivating.

即使只是完成短程慢跑， 也會覺得超振奮。

But the longer you work on something,

但，投入的時間越長，

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

你的焦點就越有可能 會轉移到你的最終目標上。

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

換言之，你不是看到 你已經走了多遠，

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

而是看到你還有多遠要走， 這樣就容易感到挫折。

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

有個簡單的方法 可以避免這些動力陷阱，

就是把你追求的目標拆成 較小、較容易達成的子目標。

into smaller, more achievable sub-goals.

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

這麼一來，拿來和進展做比較的標準 就是漸近式的，比較不會令人怯步。

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

在過程中也會有更多機會 可以慶祝成功。

This is especially important when working towards bigger societal goals.

若要努力實現的是更大的 社會目標，這點就特別重要。

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

這些問題本質上就是 大規模的且複雜的——

no single action or person is likely to solve them.

不可能靠單一行動 或單一個人就解決。

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

如果你只把焦點放在最終目標上， 很容易就會覺得個人無能為力。

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

可能就是因為這類問題太巨大，

以致於許多人，包括 深刻關注這些問題的人，

including those who care deeply about the issues,

think that progress is impossible, leading them to disengage.

都認為不可能有所進展，

導致他們不再投入。

In fact, one 2021 global survey of young people

事實上，2021 年一項 針對年輕人所做的全球調查

found that over half believe humanity is doomed.

發現有超過一半的人 認為人類注定滅亡。

But despite these obstacles,

但是儘管面對阻礙，

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

還是有人想辦法保持動力、

持續投入，並突碰瓶頸。

So, how do they do it?

他們怎麼辦到的？

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

令人驚訝的是，重點 並不全然在於你有多關心

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

或你有多在乎你眼前的這個問題。

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

比如，研究發現， 在最憂心氣候變遷的人當中，

about climate change,

only about a third take regular climate action.

只有大約三分之一的人 會採取氣候行動。

However, a unifying factor among those who do take action

有採取行動的人 都有一個共同的因素，

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

那就是他們相信自己的投入 能夠創造改變。

And this belief isn't misguided.

這種信念並非誤判。

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

悠久歷史中，社會的進步 證明了改變是有可能的。

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

個人的行動——不論是當志工、

去投票、去抗議，

or personally contributing to a communal goal—

或者個人為共同目標做出貢獻——

are key to building the collective momentum

這些都是建立集體動力的關鍵，

that has tackled seemingly impenetrable issues.

集體動力在過去曾解決了 看似無法突破的問題。

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

並不是說關心和熱情沒有意義。

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

道德義憤或怒氣可以幫助我們 專注在攸關重大的議題上。

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

正確運用的話，義憤 也可以成為強大的凝聚力。

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

在美國公民權運動中，

出於共同的怒火， 反對系統性種族主義、不公平，

injustice, and violence against Black people

以及對黑人的暴力，

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

讓各個不同的社群受到激勵 而通力合作，為爭取平等而戰。

And bringing together people of different backgrounds and mindsets

將不同背景及心態的人集結在一起

is essential to building longevity and resilience in any movement.

在任何運動中都十分重要， 能夠建立持久性和韌性。

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

透過這種方式，想想你能 如何運用你獨有的觀點、

knowledge, and expertise to promoting change can be helpful.

知識，和專業技術來促進變革，

都是助益良多。

And finding community has plenty of other benefits.

尋找共同社群還有許多其他益處。

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

單單看到其他人在努力， 就足以推動一個人採取行動。

creating a positive feedback loop.

創造正向的回饋循環。

Collaboration can help you better problem solve

當你不確定下一步怎麼走， 與人合作更能幫助你解決問題。

when you’re unsure what the next step is.

And the support and encouragement of others

且他人的支持與鼓勵 可以帶來鼓舞和喜悅，

can serve as a source of inspiration and joy

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

在你感到疲憊、沮喪， 或碰到瓶頸時，也有幫助。

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

達成任何目標的道路都很漫長， 且必然會遇到瓶頸。

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

通常，要突破瓶頸， 最好的方法就是開始行動，

no matter how small or imperfect the outcome.

不論結果多微小或不完美都沒關係。

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

進展始於再多寫下一個句子、

再多跑一英里路，

or even casting that vote to build a better future.

或甚至投下一票， 以建立更美好的未來。