How The Sense Of Futility May Lead Us Astray
The idea that it is worthless to even try is something that, in my experience, prevents a lot of individuals from achieving their objectives or being successful in their efforts to build habits.
Why bother making an effort if it seems as if it won’t make a difference no matter what you do? Therefore, when individuals are feeling this way, they will often give up, which is very understandable.
But if we want to get over this obstacle, then our best chance is to figure out how to work with the sensation that nothing is happening for a reason.
If we can discover a means to feel powerful even when things seem futile, we open ourselves up to a whole new spectrum of possibilities. One of these possibilities is the prospect of making it through the most challenging phases of a project or changing a habit.
What would it be like if you worked with your desire to give up when things seemed difficult and pointless? How would it change your experience?
First, let’s talk about how to identify that sensation of pointlessness, and then we’ll talk about how you might use that feeling to inspire you to create something new.
How to Recognize That You’re Feeling Pointless and What to Do About It
Because it is often difficult to identify this obstacle, let’s have a look at some of the most typical manifestations that it might take:
- You started a new routine (working out, meditating, writing, etc.), but you skipped a few days, and now you’re feeling disheartened and like you should just quit. The cause for this is the sensation that there is no purpose in trying, which goes something like this: “Argh, I’ll never get this, I stink, I can’t do it.”
- You have the impression that no one will be interested in what you have to say; for instance, you want to write a book or blog, but you get the impression that no one will read it after you’ve written it. Because doing so seems futile, you could decide against giving it a try.
- You are interested in enrolling in something that has the potential to significantly improve your life, such as a new course, coaching, or group activities, but you are concerned that you will not give it your full attention and, as a result, you will not derive any benefit from it. “What’s the purpose if I’m not even going to show up for it?” is a rhetorical question.
- You are unable to face the massive amount of work, clutter, or email in front of you because you believe you are unable to do any of it. As a result, you don’t even begin the process. It seems like an excessive amount, something that you are unable to deal with, and as a result, it seems futile to even attempt to deal with it.
- Things always go back to how they were before you put in your best effort, no matter how hard you try. It seems like a Sisyphean task. So you simply give up.
- You keep having the same discussion with the same person, and it isn’t leading anywhere productive for either of you. It’s aggravating because you seem to be moving in circles without getting anywhere. It is pointless to even attempt to work things out with this individual, so it is preferable to get rid of them: fire them, have them resign, break up with them, or ghost them.
- You were putting up your best effort, but it was derailed by an occurrence or circumstance that was beyond your control, such as an accident, illness, the error or crisis of another person, global events, etc. Why bother to even try?
- You get the impression that you are adrift in uncharted territory. It is best to stick to what one is familiar with!
It seems like there is no way for you to get caught up with the bills since you are so far behind. Ignore them as a result!
You can see that this relates to every aspect of our lives, including our goals of meditating, dating, organizing our belongings, working out, paying off our debt, coming up with something worthwhile, and putting together an incredible team.
This sense of pointlessness prevents us from moving forward in any direction. It is time to face it head-on!
How to Make Progress Despite the Obstacles
It is very normal to have feelings of hopelessness from time to time; it is a part of being human. The challenge arises when we give credence to it and invest it with meaning of our own.
Therefore, my advice is to take it as meaning nothing more than the fact that this is just how it feels at this moment. That is relevant to the degree that we can always care about how we feel—I feel sad, lonely, uplifted, intrigued, playful, indignant, and crestfallen, to name a few of those feelings. They are significant, but not the whole globe by any means.
Experience the sensation. Give it some kindness. Breathe.
Then, locate a means through which you may feel more in control:
- It is quite normal and expected for there to be gaps of one or two days in the process of learning and developing.
- The messiness that inevitably occurs in life is a lovely aspect of it that should be loved and embraced.
Would the act of writing itself still have any significance for me, even if no one ever read a single word that I had written? - If I constantly find myself in the same location, is there something I can take away from this experience? Is there anything I can improve upon as a result of it? If I were to learn anything from each of these failed efforts, would that make them worthwhile to me?
- If I continue to fall short of completing a class or program, is there a window of opportunity for me to make a change that would be transformative for me? What if I were to completely alter this pattern? How would it affect things?
- When I’m lost in the unknown, is it possible for me to allow myself to be curious?
- Could I simply concentrate on the next level since I’m already so far behind?
- I have a mountain of things to do; is it possible that I may enjoy the challenge of climbing the mountain? Could I find happiness in every step?
What would it be like to discover significance in a setting that at first seemed to have none?
