Summary

The article discusses the challenges and importance of persevering through the difficult "middle" phase of any long-term endeavor, emphasizing self-improvement and learning to push through as key objectives during this period.

Abstract

The article "Why Are You Not Making An Impact? Perhaps It’s Just The Middle" delves into the often demotivating stage of any significant pursuit, known as the middle. This phase is characterized by a loss of initial enthusiasm and the absence of visible progress, leading to doubts about the purpose of continuing. The author highlights that while the middle may feel like a period of stagnation, it is crucial for personal growth and developing resilience. The article suggests that instead of focusing on immediate impact or recognition, individuals should concentrate on their progress and use it as a measure of success. It also touches on the concept of the "dip," a period where motivation wanes and the effort-to-reward ratio is low, as a test of true commitment to one's goals. The author argues that persisting through these challenges is essential, as it prepares one for the eventual success that comes from compounded effort. However, it is also important to recognize when to stop pursuing a path that may not align with one's true motivations or life goals.

Opinions

The middle phase of any endeavor is inevitable and can feel like a quicksand of tasks and loose ends, obscuring the initial goal.
The initial enthusiasm and the end-goal sprint are contrasted with the often overlooked and undervalued middle phase.
The article suggests that the true purpose of the middle is not about making an impact but about self-improvement and learning to persevere through difficult periods.
The author emphasizes that the correct measure of success during the middle is progress, not external validation or impact.
The "dip" is a natural part of the journey where motivation fluctuates, and it serves as a test of one's commitment to their goals.
The article posits that the unfavorable effort-reward ratio in the middle can help distinguish between genuine passion and misaligned pursuits.
It is noted that persisting through the middle is necessary for achieving long-term success, but one should also be willing to reassess and potentially change paths if the endeavor does not align with personal values or goals.
The author shares a personal anecdote about leaving academic philosophy due to the realization that the required time investments did not match their personal aspirations, leading to a more fulfilling path through the Medium Partner Program.

Why Are You Not Making An Impact? Perhaps It’s Just The Middle

The middle is where it gets tough.

In the beginning, you’ve still got all the enthusiasm. And when you can see the finish line, you start your sprint.

The middle, though, often feels like a quicksand of pointless deadlines, tasks and loose ends. Why I am undergoing this, again?

In the middle, the mountain peak we remember seeing — hallucinating? — so vividly from base camp appears to be covered in fog. You’re not sure that you’re still going up, let alone how to reach it.

The bad news is, we can’t change that.

But what we can do is making sure we survive and come out stronger.

Not making an impact

Many people I know with entry-level positions don’t enjoy their jobs. Fellow philosophers tell eerily similar stories about their friends and partners, ‘working in the real world’.

In the middle of a talk, Simon Sinek shares a telling experience:

“I keep meeting these wonderful, fantastic, idealistic, hardworking, smart Millennials. They’ve just graduated school, in their entry-level job. I sit down with them. I go, “How’s it going?” They go, “I think I’m gonna quit.” I go, “Why?” They’re like “I’m not making an impact.” I go, “You’ve been here 8 months.””

The contrast with our teenage-ambitions — “impact the world” — is bitter.

And eight months is not even that bad.

Here’s a rhetorical question about my own profession, academic philosophy:

“Have you ever spent [four] years pouring your heart and soul into a project that only three people will ever see? In academia, we call that your ‘dissertation.’” — Rachel Anne Williams

This is true. It’s not an exaggeration. It’s accurate.

In these eight months, no, you didn’t make an impact. And your dissertation never will, anyway.

What this means: in every path to the summit, you’ll stop ascending for a while.

But that doesn’t mean you’re no longer climbing.

What are middles for?

In the middle, your goal shouldn’t be to pull off what those who’ve already reached the other side attain. While it’s true that no-one will read your dissertation, and that you’re not making an impact, this misses the point.

When we evaluate time spent in the middle by the same standard we use to evaluate time spent at the top — did I make an impact? how many readers did I get? — we apply the wrong criteria.

Rather, what dissertations and entry-level jobs are for, is (1) self-improvement and (2) learning how to push through a dip. (If they have an external purpose, theirs would merely a signaling one: proving that you are capable of getting to the next level.)

The correct measure, then, is whether you’re progressing.

Focus on progress

You need to realize that you’re only in the middle and adjust your evaluation criteria accordingly. Right now, don’t worry about readership or impact, but focus on your progress. Use it as your sole indicator.

In the dip, your motivation will fluctuate. One week will be great and the next week you’ll wonder why the hell you started climbing. It will not always feel like you’re doing the correct thing.

Indeed, progress is the fuel that you need to make it.

It will take a long time before you’re at the top, and, if you still want to get there, then your only option is to keep on pushing it forward. Looking for a different path and forging different plans won’t help you go around the hole.

In fact, such energy-investments will only distract. It’s no miracle, for example, that people who do too many projects are mediocre at some things and good at none.

These people are afraid to push through.

When to stop

Another reason why the middle is rough is that, in it, the ratio between inputs and outputs is heavily skewed — and not in your favor.

This is hard, but it also puts you in a unique position to assess to what extent your motivation is honest.

If it is, then the unfavorable effort-reward ratio won’t bother you. You’re playing the long game and you know that real pay-offs only come from compounded effort.

If it’s not, the hurdles will cause you to give up, and there’s nothing wrong with that. Many ambitious projects might not work or might make you see that this is not your cup of tea. So if this ‘unfairness’ makes you worry about getting the credit, then stop and reflect.

How you react to the dip can help you to make sure you’re not going up the Alps while you should have tried to tackle the Himalaya.

For instance, like other academic disciplines, philosophy suffers from institutionally generated pressures to publish. This means spending buckets of time writing papers merely for the sake of getting them accepted into journals nobody reads because you need to have these papers and journals on your CV.

Personally, I can think of more interesting activities to fill my time with. The middle has made me aware of necessary time-investments that getting to this top requires and I’m not willing to make.

Since then, the Medium Partner Program changed my life.

And as I’m climbing this different mountain now, I’m starting to wonder whether, perhaps, the climbing is what it was about in the first place.

There’s more to that

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