It has become a paradox of our modern life: the constant desire for personal improvement and productivity is met with surprising passive resistance as if we were trapped in a vicious circle, devouring tips, techniques, and habit books, but without taking tangible steps to make changes.

I call that the “LABYRINTH OF INACTION,” a permanent productive dissatisfaction that seems to involve more and more people daily.

Lost in the labyrinth

There you are, in the middle of the maze. You do not like it. It’s not pleasant, but since it’s already familiar to you, you stay there, wandering around. Even though you know something is wrong. Even though you admit that you wish you were somewhere else. You are still in the labyrinth, wandering, without doing anything to find the way out (it’s like a somewhat twisted version of “I prefer the known bad…”).

I know people who have bought my book Super Habits, and then, with all the love in the world, placing it on the shelf next to our cookbooks and fashionable novels will be enough to change things. «That’s it. I bought your book, Berto. Surely, from today, my habits will be “super.” Oh really?

inhabitants of the labyrinth

These people, those who live in the labyrinth of inaction, share a series of symptoms that they point out bitterly:

• Their performance could be better.
• They feel trapped in a torrent of tasks.
• They are stressed.
• Their creativity is almost non-existent.
• They barely have time for a personal or family life.

And there is another detail that I see more and more: many of these people consume videos about habits or follow “inspiring” accounts on Instagram, which only serve to wish for habits that they do not have or long for a change that, of course, does not come because they do not. They tear it off.

Act, not just think.

Reading about it helps, thinking about it helps, reflecting on it helps, planning about it helps… but all of it. It isn’t beneficial if you don’t take action and do it. Any improvement requires a change. Stop thinking about it over and over, make a plan, but above all, get going. … start.

Renewing your habits can change your life completely, but it requires decisions and effort. Updating your implied productive work system requires a desire to improve, optimism, determination, and work. If you’re looking for that… are you willing or not?

Do you blame others?

One of the favorite excuses for not leaving the maze is to blame others. “I don’t work alone, and being productive with my colleagues is tough… you don’t know my company.” Or my favorite: “Now is not a good time; maybe later will be better.”

Even without denying (of course) that others play a crucial role and often do not make it easy for us, taking refuge in this “wild card excuse” is not a good personal growth strategy.

Do too many things surround you?

Simplifying is, among other things, releasing ballast and removing what is left over. Creating a simpler life free of commitments and unnecessary things has a clear purpose. It is not about saying: “Look, what a more Zen life I lead.” It is rather about focusing on what is essential.

You can see what matters when you eliminate the nonsense from your life. Your time and energy go to what is important; you put effort into what is essential. We have so many things (useless tasks, absurd commitments, unnecessary habits, etc.) in our daily lives that it is almost impossible to get out of that labyrinth. Remember, everything that does not add or subtract.

Is it really “impossible”?

“That’s almost impossible,” I have heard on more than one occasion. Of course, it isn’t easy! Of course, swimming against the current is difficult! But If it were easy, everyone would do it.

There, the mentality and the way of talking to yourself count a lot. Being pragmatic about this is vital. What do you think will work best? Face the challenge with optimism and a positive approach. Or say before starting that, “It’s impossible?

Like everyone, I have my struggles, my victories, and my failures. I mean, there are times or even seasons where, yes, I’m in that labyrinth, too. But I get going, take steps, and look for the exit. For this simple reason, I have learned on my path with habits: I have, in my hand, the power to change many of the things that happen to me or what I do.

The only person who can get you out of the maze is you. So, are you ready to make a change?