Why would anyone devote efforts to convince himself that he cannot improve his own situation? Although many individuals are conscious of the disadvantages of psychological immobility, such paralysis is frequently endorsed. Millions of men and women fall prey to self-imposed restrictions that they could remove if they wished.
A crucial question
Why are
restraining beliefs so ingrained in society? What makes human beings
support fantasies in word and deed? How is it possible that some people
devote their energies to pretending that paralysis is an acceptable
approach to living?
Three reasons explain why human beings are
often deeply invested in immobility. Social convenience is the first,
since it feels good to belong to the majority. Financial benefit is the
second, since many doors are closed to those who ask uncomfortable
questions. The third motive, fear of rejection, is perhaps the
strongest.
Each of those justifications possesses extraordinary
appeal on its own. All three combined are almost irresistible.
Nevertheless, experience proves that, in the long run, doubt and
psychological paralysis will destroy a man's life.
Social
convenience can lead people to repress their best initiatives. The habit
of seeking conformity deprives men of the force to pursue their dreams
and stake their claims. However, the financial benefits of immobility,
although sweet, tend to be short-lived.
In industrial societies,
the negative consequences of rejection tend to be exaggerated by the
media. Nowadays, global markets allow innovators to find their customers
anywhere in the world even if their ideas are not appreciated by
friends and neighbours.
The difficulties
Thinking for yourself is difficult in the
face of opposition. The golden advantages of social convenience always
seem, at first sight, the obvious choice, but conformity and passivity
make man's happiness impossible. Becoming aware of long-term
consequences of immobility and taking rational initiative mark the path
to success.
Inaction and conformity have so many advantages that,
for some people, they become the choice by default. Few are told that
those short-term benefits are dwarfed by their lifetime costs. Seldom is
the fact mentioned that long-term passivity wipes out man's capacity
for attaining success and happiness.
Psychological immobility
arises when people are overwhelmed by problems, threats, or obstacles
that look insurmountable. Logic and evidence provide the means to
dispute and eliminate from our mind the fallacies that feed mental
passivity. Rationality is what allows a person to make reasonable
calculations and take action to improve his life.
For instance,
if you want to avoid psychological exhaustion, you should never take it
personally when people do stupid things. Never allow yourself to be
paralysed by the fact that other persons have made a large mistake.
The solution
Stand
up and resume your efforts to attain success. Get back on your feet and
avoid the temptation of passivity, since it produces nothing and leads
to nothing. Motivational paralysis only serves to waste your life.
Make
a point also to ignore gloomy predictions from the media, friends, or
family. Most depressing statements are not true anyway and the world is
not coming to an end. Do not join people wallowing in their misery.
Never fall into immobility out of fear of things that, most likely, will
never happen. Asses your alternatives, pick up the best, and begin to
move in the right direction.
What looks today as universal
malignancy often turns to be just another benign local problem that is
quickly forgotten. What today seems a serious challenge has often little
long-term significance. For those who refuse to be paralysed,
catastrophes frequently contain the seed of profitable opportunities.
When
people embrace passivity, that's the best time to take swift action. A
crisis, personal or otherwise, should be faced through relentless
initiative, not with immobility. Nobody but you can decide when a game
is over.
Psychological paralysis is the worst enemy of
achievement and happiness. Immobility is always a losing proposition.
What you learn on bad days builds your creativity and strength of
character. For those who remain alert and active, opportunities are
created every minute.
For more information about rational living and personal development, I refer you to my book The 10 Principles of Rational Living
Text: http://johnvespasian.blogspot.com
Image by duff_sf under Creative Commons Attribution License. See the license terms under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/us