Burning Out.. And Rekindling The Fire
January 19, 2010
When you’re passionate about your field, what you do, or create.. whether a web worker, entrepreneur, artist, or any other idea generator – sometimes, life throws you curveballs and can, for whatever reason, make you lose some of that spark.
I’ve seen it a lot, and it happened to me earlier in my career. You work for a long time, aspiring for a goal or “dream job,” only to find when you get there it’s a disappointment. It’s not just that it’s harder than expected – that’d be a challenge to be embraced in most generators’ eyes – it’s that the impact you were hoping you could have to change, to improve, to further yourself just didn’t materialize.
It can be demoralizing, spending months or years pursuing a goal that you found you didn’t want. I’ve come to believe that anyone who’s got an ounce of ambition has been there before.
What are ways to deal with it? Here’s a few I’ve found and I strongly encourage you to post yours in the comments.
1) Consult Your Mentor(s)
Who are your mentors? If they’re really your mentors, you can tell them the situation, and see what they would do to either remedy the situation, or to help you get your energy back. They’re your mentors for a reason, after all, and usually are glad to help. It can be hard – and sometimes feel like weakness, but we all go through periods of not feeling like we want to be our best.
2) Remember Why You Love (Loved) What You Do (Did)
Why did you love what you do? What was the real thing you were looking for in that dream job or assignment? Especially working in a field where you’ve got a lot of teaching and culture-shifting to do, it can wear on you. When moving forward to your next opportunity, what are the things you liked? What is the part of the dream you REALLY wanted, regardless of the organization?
3) What Is Your Passion Outside Of Work?
There’s so many things outside of work that can be inspiring. A pet, a lover, a piece of art, great music.. go experience it full-boar. For instance, if you like music and can spare it (or be a no-cover master and get on the guest list) go see the next show of one of your favorite bands. The key, to me, is getting the bounce back (but I’ve been described by quite a few as a “Tigger” in the personality spectrum (compared to Pooh, Piglet, Rabbit, and Eyore from “Winnie the Pooh”).
So what are your tips? Leave’em in the comments.
Comments
4 Responses to “Burning Out.. And Rekindling The Fire”
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jer..
this is why I read you. you’re willing to share and give tips that are helpful. smart as always.
my tip is to remember what is really important. for me, its the people. I can’t tell u how important my friends and family are, and if work is hell I know it’s always just temporary as this will pass. I can make tomorrow better if I want to.
This exact scenario has happened to me multiple times in several “careers”. I’ve come to realize that maybe I’ve either not tapped the one true source for income and enjoyment… Or I never will.
So I agree with your tips listed above, particularly the part about consulting mentors. But more to the point, I plan to advise my own children to FIND mentors first. Interview and talk with those already in a chosen field before investing precious time (sometimes years) towards a craft.
Ultimately, life is a about the journey and I feel we should go easier on ourselves as we remember and grow.
This is a great post! I guess I’m relating to it most because I was recently laid (layed?) off work and I’m doing my best to stay positive (it’s hard!) and re-evaluate. It’s a nice reminder that I can look for the things that I want and that I don’t necessarily have to find them all right now and all at once. The only thing I know right now is that I’m enjoying and I’m useful to the rescue I volunteer with, so that’s what I’m focusing on (in between all the cover letters, resume tweaks and online applications). If I keep my focus on the dogs I foster, I feel useful and much more motivated to go after the jobs I want. I’ll find work, somewhere, but for now, I’m staying busy with Homeward Bound and keeping my mind off of the bills and stress to come. Thanks for reminding me that this is all ok and that I’m not the only one stuck in a rut!
Excellent suggestions, Jeremiah. I’m all for #3. It reminds me of the Lemonade Movie (http://www.lemonademovie.com/). It’s a bit different because the people featured lost their jobs and then pursued their passions. But once they took the time to figure out what they were passionate about, then acted upon those passions, they realized what it was they were missing in life.
People become burned out because they’ve lost the ability to evenly distribute the time they spend on work and life. Reflection and refocusing are key to regaining that balance.