Burning out?
Why are so many feeling burnt-out and overwhelmed so early in the year?
This year feels different and it’s only February.
Linkedin recently asked the question: why are so many people feeling they are burnt out when it’s only February. I wanted to say, your ‘burn-out meter’ doesn’t automatically refill on the 1st January as the bells strike mid-night and fireworks brighten the skies around the world. However I gave it a little deeper thought and added my comments. To my surprise, Linkedin included it in their summary of the most impactful/thoughtful responses.
I have been thinking on the subject since as I have seen/heard more on social media, in media articles, via some podcasts and in conversation about this same subject. More people are feeling it and certainly expressing it.
Here are some thoughts from someone who made a big shift aged 50, moving from a long-time corporate executive in financial services to an entrepreneur who absolutely feels the ‘CEO of my own life.’
My first comment in my Linkedin response expanded on the above point. When you love what you do and you do what you love, you have a job, career and/or business that is centred around your purpose, fires your passion on a daily basis and plays to your superpowers and signature strengths. When the situation demands it, this gets you up in the morning and keeps you going into the night.
Prior to Covid I was a predominantly face to face speaker and coach who facilitated offsites and also ran leadership/talent development programmes. In March 2020 all my future bookings disappeared. However I love GiFT631, I love what I do and I love making a difference and helping others move in the direction of their goals and potential. I worked really hard because I had to. I wanted to rebuild and reimagine my business. It was a rocky period for a few months but I know my purpose, I know my passions and I know my goals.
I found it invigorating. Others founds it crushing.
I said to myself, I can’t just work myself out of this problem, I need to think myself out of it too. I doubled my Mozart time (see my article below), my movement, my meditation, my self development and my journalling. These helped me stay fresh, cleared the clutter and allowed me to find the much needed clarity on what I needed to do and how I needed to do it.
Therefore the first part of my answer is to ask people to really question themselves. Do I love what I do? Does it fuel my passions and play to my signature strengths? If not, reread another of my articles to ask yourselves some key questions:
I realise that even when people know that what they are doing is less than fulfilling (I hear ‘it’s just work’, ‘it pays the bills’, ‘it’s ok for now’ all the time) not everyone has the confidence and self-belief to take the leap and find something that does.
Hence, the second part of my answer was to share my 4M morning routine, which I use both today and in my corporate days to get into my ideal performance state. This is only one of a series of GiFT631 winning habits, routines and frameworks that I use to stay focused, keep my edge and be more efficient in all I do.
Here is a 2 minute #giftbite sharing the essence of the 4M routine:
I follow this daily routine with an act of appreciation and by journalling the following things:
What I am happy and grateful for
My chosen affirmation (or a series of affirmations): ‘I love being the CEO of my own life and time and financial freedom that it brings
Something I am proud of that I have achieved in my life - big or small.
I also time-block my diary, marking out time to do deep-work and ensure the things that are high value, high impact and high meaning get done.
I contrast this with what I observe in others: back to back zoom/teams calls, overly long meetings that lack focus, purpose, clear agendas, action points and follow up, endless emails and low value to do lists. Next week I will share a wonderfully simple exercise that every person and team should do!
For those fearing burn-out and feeling any degree of overwhelm I would start here. The only way to start is to start. Embed this first. We can then build from here.
How?
Each week I intend to share more of my GiFT631 success system, winning habits, routines and frameworks. Paid subscribers will get full access to this system along with every chapter of my book and other content.