Innovation’s Dirty Secret: It’s Boring, Lonely, and (Maybe Not) Worth It

R3ciprocity.com - Prof David Maslach: Innovation; Research Life; Striving Towards Happiness · Jan 29, 2026 · 8m

When you follow something like the R3ciprocity Project—or any long, hard project—you need to understand something: recognition might never come. And if it does, it won’t feel the way you imagined. By the time it arrives, you’ll be too tired, too changed, or too bored to care.

In year one, people cheer you on. “Great idea!” they say. You’re excited, they’re excited. But by year five or six, the mood shifts. Friends, family, even strangers start asking, “Why are you still doing this? Isn’t it time to quit?”

Here’s the truth: that’s exactly when most people give up. Not because it’s…