Motivational Monday
Let’s continue in this dark end of winter discussing burnout, so come spring and summer, we have clear intentions on how to combat burnout and create our anti-burnout limits.
In one major traveling job, I was continually given more territory. My territory got way too big, and I was gone 90% of the time. I had only signed up to be away from my home 50% of the time, and this pushed my limit. I didn’t want to seem like a prima donna, never satisfied. I wanted to be grateful for the work I had but it was too much. I was resentful. In my commitment to endurance, I negotiated big-time with the company, and we came to an agreement both of us could endure.
This has probably happened to you. You may be in a current situation like this now. You will be pushed. You might like the responsibility and added work a little, but listen to your faculties. Your body, Real Self, positive mind, and spiritually centered heart know your limits better than anyone else. Your False Self might tell you to quit one day, and the next day tell you to suck it up. Regardless of that silly False Self, you need to make a plan. Endurance only works when you are clear of your limits.
The snafu happens when you are clear of your limits, but others’ expectations of you differ from your expectations of yourself. I see this, often. You have worked a successful career. You’re a decade or more into it, and you’ve made your family proud. They are used to the comfort with which they have become accustom to. And you are feeling at your limit. If you continue on, burnout will come soon.
On the surface, this is a dilemma. It feels REALLY big. I assure you, there are many different solutions, but it is quite difficult to see one as you face the ‘I-must-be-the –provider-and-give-my-loved-ones-what-they-want’.
Here’s where help is also necessary. As a leader, you don’t always have to lead. In fact, it’s good practice to let people along the way, that you trust and respect, lead you. Hopefully, you already have a relationship with a mentor where you can be yourself and freely express your needs. This mentor will help you assess the situation with unclouded eyes, and assist you to create a new perspective and situation that allows you the freedom you desire.
It all comes down to freedom. We are often bound by the chains of our stories, beliefs, and patterns. The trick is to stay as present, open, and flexible to what the world offers and the experiences you want. Think about what your life would be like in complete freedom. I don’t mean shake off all your commitments and promises. I mean freedom, like the thesaurus says: ability, flexibility, immunity, opportunity, power, privilege, and right. We are all searching for the ultimate freedom.
Your ultimate freedom begins with either finding a playful way to deal with your situation, or to change it. The sky is the limit, even if you can’t see past your nose. That’s why a guide can help you find what’s already inside of you. Don’t look for advice, look for a trained professional to mirror what’s already in you. That will lead to the most authentic changes and aha’s you can have in life.
Your limits are respectable. Don’t shame yourself for those boundaries. That just perpetuates the cycle of the False Self making you miserable. The crabbier you get, the more your ego enjoys it. Take a stand for your freedom. You set yourself free when you make a plan and take action. If you feel unsettled, like you need a change, it’s time to listen and go forward with that urge. No one can decide but you, so take your leadership deeply into consideration, and lead yourself through the chaos toward more ease and wellbeing.
One of the places I’ve found burnout so prevalent, is in the work expectations of our work-a-holic culture. We are not meant to grow every business 4% each year, no matter what. We are not meant to live without vacation and relaxation. The big picture is staring right at us. The answer seems obvious. It’s time to redefine what is realistic, not to mention sustainable!
Sure, I love working myself to the bone here and there, but I have also gotten quite good at spotting a burnout limit, in myself. I can halt it about 2 weeks before a mental breakdown, is my guestimate. I am a work-a-holic. I love to make projects successes. I love to pick myself up after failures. It’s the hustle, the wheel and deal, and the grit that makes me feel like I not only exist in the world, but I contribute a vision that must be shared.
Overall, when I take all the motivators that contribute to my outlook, it’s really the passion for my vision that keeps me going. Make sure you’re also clear on that passion. Think about why you work. Notice what motivates you, and drives you forward with passion and persistence. That’s your medicine for burnout. It can carry you through the chaos and hard times.
I’ll ask you now to open your mind, as you stay present and flexible. When you struggle in your career, for whatever reason, there are insightful tips all around you. Coincidences can show up at the oddest times. De Ja Vu tells you something. It’s important to listen to these messages, whether you can make something out of them or not. Pay attention to people you run into in a day. What is the Source of Everything trying to tell you? Don’t let your false self tell you that is bollocks, just sit with it and see if there are hidden opportunities attempting to show themselves.
When you look back on your life, you can see that if you never met person x, then you wouldn’t have gone to place y, and you never would have accomplished accomplishment z. Right? This means when you’re ready for a change, it’s time to pay extra attention to these intuitive hits, so you can maximize the insight, and come to a strategic plan through thoughts, feelings, and actions. A holistic approach, when you use your mind, body, and soul, is a wonderful way to live life.
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