The Guise Of Stagnation - How Does It Occur? And What To Do About It.
Using a treadmill is extremely common. If not, you would have definitely noticed someone else on it, striving to acquire that physique they saw on social media or somewhere else. But that's not what this post is about, is it? Instead, as you would surely recognize, we are here to take a deep breath of knowledge. If you have keen observation skills You'll see that while someone using a treadmill can adjust the speed as much as they like, their real position in place does not move all that much. Do you know the reason?
Stagnation is a feeling that everyone has had at some point. Even I have had periods of stagnation in several areas of my life. As a result of my likely sense of comfort, I did not become aware of the stagnancy in some of the aspects until much later. I could use my design skills as an example.
By learning graphic design, I began designing in 2016. My need to explore, improve, and eventually create things came from a deep place of enthusiasm. The fact that there was always something new to learn before bed caused me to lose sleep on numerous occasions. That's how things went on for a very long time, until I had to start university to get a degree in computer engineering, at which point I had to leave home.
Then a period of time arrived when I stopped accessing Corel Draw frequently—from ten times per day to three times per week to never in weeks. My learning rate at that time began to progressively decline until it reached zero, the point of stagnation.
The point was, though, that I still design well—the majority of the time, at least. However, I continue to create cool designs that others find appealing and acceptable. Eventually, the delusion that "I'm doing fine" covered over the stagnation.
I kept acting that way for several years. I only occasionally pick up cool tricks, either accidentally or as a result of what I observe others doing. I forced myself forward under the impression that I was moving, but I wasn't.
Up until the year of the COVID-19 epidemic, which was one of the most memorable year, I finally ran out of justifications and got a little push to attempt to do better. And I did try a little more to get better, which led to some improvement. But once the pandemic in my region had taken hold, I eventually returned to that comfortable state of stagnation.
And there are other dimensions; this is only one example of how it is for me. It might be something else for you. It might also be your relationships, earnings, or job. The instant you give up striving to improve is the instant stagnation starts. And that seemingly tiny choice you make, whether said openly or within your mind, fully displays its birth, however subtly it may initially look.
So, for some people, the desire for change finally manifests itself; for others, it stings less. The situation seemed to be getting worse, so I had to deal with it. But first, I had to comprehend how it had come to be that way in the first place.
EVEN SO, HOW DOES IT OCCUR? AND WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT
Stagnation can happen in many different ways. I've listed a few of the more frequent ones that are most likely to happen, though.
When You're afraid about making a mistake
If you agree with me, this one is quite typical.
As you can see, I've been getting better at designing, but I've never done it for a major brand. Additionally, working with well-known businesses exposes you to a variety of ongoing difficulties. Competing with other graphic designers encourages your imagination to come up with concepts, methods, and innovations that you have probably never seen before.
But I feared that I would never be good enough to design for well-known companies. And trust me when I say that I was genuinely OK. Consequently, I fell back into stagnation without even realizing it.
Again, dear reader, this could be anything else (relationship, personal life or even earnings). I've experienced this fear of making mistake. It held me hostage in my own fear of failing, coming across as stupid, or performing poorly. This fear of making mistake is common and can affect even the best among us.
If this relates to you, acknowledge it and deal with it directly. Take the worst-case situation as an example. I pictured mine as being limited to just one day of criticism. The only thing I could do at that point would be to...admit it openly, take a deep breath, and review my previous skills. Simple!
When You're Exhausted
One reason for stagnation that people occasionally overlook is this.
You are working hard, churning it out, and delivering it back-to-back, after all.
For the past five months, you've been putting in 18-hour days. You're not even sure when you last went shopping. It has probably been a very long time since you last spoke with or even saw that close buddy and enjoyed a wonderful laugh-filled conversation. Your relationship or perhaps your place of employment is in shambles. But no, you're in a good place right now, and you're going to finish this task even if it kills you. Then it occurs. You feel like you are choking and that it hits you like a bulldozer.
From this point on, it starts to seem like your brain recently returned from a vacation in Dubai. One experiences moments of frustration as the downloads of thoughts, creativity, and ideas seem to be hindered right now.
Let me be honest: While writing the blog you are currently reading, I did experience some of those feelings. I began by coming up with the concept of starting a blog. Then I continued to research it extensively, which is a benefit to posting things like this (any post at all really). I then began to write. I would write a little, read more articles for ideas, and then start writing again.
Eventually, as darkness drew near, I peered out my window to see a number of lights that were on outside, their lights starting to shine through as the main light (the sun) started to set until the next day. Wow, and you're just beginning to think about breakfast? I thought to myself at that point. I hadn't done anything besides write; I hadn't even left my room.
Then something happened, and I lost all memory of it. Then, I was gazing at my phone screen as if I were the device and the user was the device. I was definitely exhausted out at that point. I dozed off listening to a cool jazz music. I awoke, but nothing changed. To get back on track with this post you're reading, I had to take another siesta while listening to more jazz music.
The best approach to fight exhaustion is to take a rest. You are unable to choose to continue at this point. Otherwise, you'll find yourself there for too long and need to pause to reset. You could watch movies in one sitting or go out and socialize.
When You failed to focus on the reward or prize
I've done this one a lot, my friend.
In 2018, I first began learning how to create websites. When I first started, I took website development very seriously. I read books and watched YouTube videos. I got started because I wanted to be able to create websites that were incredibly smooth and earn some substantial money.
Time travel to a few years later, after I had given up on that idea. I had lost all motivation for coding website and had taken my eyes off the prize. Currently, the only HTLM codes I am familiar with are the ones I use frequently to create the markdown-based posts I write. However, this story is a little different.
It's possible that you put in a lot of effort and now have surpassed your quarterly milestone. You acquired a big business, developed a popular items, or even outperformed your previous best performance to take the top spot on the leaderboard. Congratulations! Your diligence has paid off, so bask in your success for a few days.
But the truth is that there is a thin line between joy and laziness. It is quite simple to overlook, and if you do, you will have just entered a state of stagnation disguised as jubilation.
When this kind of stagnation occurs, you should avoid procrastinating and instead do the reverse of what you would do with an exhausted person. It's time to call the party to a close and go to work.
Finally, everyone experiences stagnation at some point. There is no shame at all in it. What you choose to do about it is what counts. I hope this post has given you some insight into how stagnation occurs and how you might overcome it.
Curated By - @simonnwigwe
Curation Team - The Efficient Seven