Hi, today I would like to share about the interesting topic, namely "What makes someone feels left behind in working hard", the reason why I choose that topic because many adults feel left behind when they must compete with young people or young generation, I don't mean to compare between the younger generation and the older generation, In reality itself there are no competitors, there is only continuous change, the real competitor is who we were yesterday, based on Psychological view, The feeling of "being late to work hard" is a common experience and can be understood through several psychological perspectives:
1. Cognitive Factors: Thought Patterns and Perception of Time
- Views on "ideal timing": Many people hold social or personal standards about when they should start working hard (e.g., "must succeed before the age of 30"). This perception is often influenced by culture, media, or other people’s success stories, which make them feel left behind.
- Self-blaming cognitive thoughts: Thoughts such as "I have wasted my time" or "others are already more advanced" can reinforce the feeling of being late and make it difficult to start.
- Mistakes in assessing progress: We often focus on others’ end results without looking at their journey or the challenges they faced, leading to an unfair sense of being left behind.
2. Emotional and Motivational Factors
- Fear of failure: The fear that efforts made now will not be enough to catch up can make a person hesitant to start, thus prolonging the feeling of being late.
- Fatigue or depression: Emotional conditions like chronic fatigue or depression can reduce energy and motivation to work hard, making time feel like it passes without perceived progress.
- Lack of goal clarity: Without clear goals, a person may struggle to find reasons to work hard and feel that time already spent has been wasted.
3. Past Experience Factors
- Past obstacles or difficulties: Experiences such as limited access to opportunities, family problems, or personal challenges that hindered development can make a person feel they have fallen behind their peers.
- Upbringing or educational patterns: If a person was not taught the importance of discipline and hard work in the past, or was even prevented from developing their potential, they may feel late when they begin to realize its importance.
4. Social and Cultural Factors
- Social pressure: Demands from family, friends, or society regarding achievement and success by a certain age can make a person feel they have exceeded the "allowed" time limit to work hard.
- Comparison with others: Cultures that prioritize competition and comparison often make people feel left behind, even if their own progress is actually good enough.
Positive Psychological Perspective
Psychology also emphasizes that there is no absolute time limit for starting to work hard. The concept of "brain plasticity" shows that our brains can still learn and develop throughout life. Additionally, each person has a different developmental rhythm—some find their direction and drive to work hard early on, while others discover it later in life after going through various life experiences.
The feeling of being late can also be a positive trigger if managed well, as it can increase awareness of the importance of time and provide motivation to take action now, hopefully this article can give you an insight, good luck.