We have all had the experience of “going through the motions.”
“Going through the motions” is an expression used when someone is doing something — often something they are required to do — without engaging their heart or mind.
It is something we most often do when we either find the task so meaningless or so vile that the only way forward is to turn off our thoughts, feelings, or sense of self completely.
From what I’m seeing, a lot of people are having this dissociative experience more often.
Perhaps, as part of our process of Becoming Superhuman, there’s something we can do about it.
An Object Set in Motion
There are times when we “go through the motions” because we aren’t feeling great. Maybe we didn’t get enough sleep. Perhaps we’re sick. There’s a chance we didn’t drink enough water yesterday.
These are all examples things that are reasonably easy to address through habit changes or the simple passage of time.
We also “go through the motions” as a survival tactic. This can happen when we are in the midst of experiencing something traumatic. It can also result from looking around at your circumstances, being so thoroughly terrified about the future, and getting so lost in the anxiety of your own mind that the only way to keep going, is to turn on your autopilot.
When these are the reasons we start “going through the motions” neither habit changes nor the passage of time are likely to fix things. No matter how much earlier you get to bed, or how much water your drink, you can’t lifestyle change your way out of these triggers.
- There is no sleeping away the concerns about climate change.
- Even after recovering from a cold or flu, you won’t feel so healthy that you can all of a sudden ignore that we are in the dawn of American Fascism.
- Go get in the best shape of your life, but it won’t fix the reality for millions that no matter how many hours you work, including overtime, you still won’t have enough to buy a home or retire.
Going through the motions won’t fix what ails us, but neither will blaming ourselves for it.
Remains in Motion
Perhaps you’ve had the feeling that all you need to do is hold out a little longer for things to get better. This intoxicating idea absolves us of needing to take any bold or decisive action.
This is what every problematic system hopes for: the disassociation and patience of those being harmed. All of the steps it took to get where we are, were supported by our collective inaction.
Too many people buy into a delusion that we just need to wait a little longer. You know, “the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice,” etc. So we just wait until that toxic manager gets fired. We let ourselves believe that maybe this will be the last time that family member traumatizes us because they’ll have an awakening. Or maybe if we just vote hard enough, the next administration will be sworn in and we can stop worrying so much.
Running out the clock is only a good strategy when you’re ahead.
When you’re playing from behind, it’s just “game over.”
Unless Acted on by an Unbalanced Force
If you’ve been feeling like me lately, you’ve been wondering what it’s all for.
I’ve seen it described as “going into work when you know the company is getting ready to shut down.“ Maybe that resonates with you the way it did with me.
- Why work hard?
- Why build a business?
- Why keep walking forward on a treadmill speeding backward?
- Why fight for an equitable world when the structures of power, discrimination, and violence grow ever stronger and taller?
- Why keep trying for better when the evidence keeps pointing toward everything getting worse, despite our efforts?
While I can’t speak to your specific situation, I can offer how I think about it to stop myself from going through the motions or giving up.
- I’d rather go down fighting the good fight than relinquish my seat at the table by waiting for things to magically change
- Even if everything falls apart, I won’t let the time I have left to do something be taken away from me
- Real power is not at the top of the pyramid, it’s at the base
Laws of Motion
If you find yourself going through the motions too often and you want to re-engage your mind and heart, here is my suggestion.
1. Stop the Motion: Rest is critical to your strategy
You cannot take bold and meaningful action unless you rest. Rest is where you recharge yourself for the important work. It’s also the birthplace of creativity and innovation. Your mind is not designed to be in fight or flight all the time.
2. Introduce Force: Find meaning
If you are feeling stuck in a meaningless job, or wondering what the point is, your goal is to introduce ONE new thing worthy of your time and energy. That one thing must help someone, anyone.
Go outside of what currently occupies your time. Do not allow all of your time to be devoted toward the going through the motions.
Find one meaningful activity to engage in and give it priority over all else. Protect it with everything you’ve got.
3. Use the motion: Bring meaning to the meaningless
If you are feeling stuck in a meaningless job, or wondering what the point is, stop waiting for someone to resolve that. Find a way to connect what you are already doing to something important. It could be putting a little sand in the gears, working your way up the ladder so you can get past security, or using that job to pass the time between worthy missions.
Set your sight on your capacity to make a contribution. You don’t want to miss your chance to make a difference when you get it.
We need you.
I didn’t feel like writing today. I decided to go and give it a try anyway (see strategy 3, above).
I try to remind myself that change is not a single event. It is a continuous stream of small events, constantly shaping our direction. I am hopeful with every post that I write, that one person walks away seeing things a little differently.
I could’ve skipped this post without an explanation. None of us need an excuse to pause, rest, or take a day off from our attempts to actively change the world.
Don’t mistake what I’m saying today. You needn’t change a thing based on my values. What I’m asking from you today, is that you consider what kind of motions you want to go through based on your values.
I hope you enjoyed this post!
If this is your first time here or you haven’t yet become a subscriber… click here to get both Becoming Superhuman and The Infinite Impact Newsletter
If you’re already a subscriber… consider becoming a member to support this work and get all sorts of other benefits.
