Burnout is a term bantered about to describe an event in a person's life, where they no longer have the affinity to do what they once did, with thte fervor they used to employ.
I say burnout is an excuse for laziness. Why?
People use the term on Monday when they arrive at work, by noon.Never mind that they stayed up allnight watching spy thrillers, or hitting the game boy. These folks are just sleepy, and lunch does little to help. Their productivity suffers, and because they aren't meeting their goals think it's burnout.
On Tuesday, they complain that things just arean't working, and they cannot figure out why. "I have a pounding headache," they say. No wonder... They went to happy hour, which almost lasteduntil the morning. Now lighter in th head and wallet, they wonder why they cannot make ends meet like they used to. It's easy! Hangovers are painful drainers of energy, that sap the mind of function, and the will of performance. Moderation would help, too.
Wednesday, they cry that they need a break. Ok. Hold out an appendage, nd I'll break it. At least you'd have something to whine about. Pity is a powerful and pervasive demotivator. It infects formerly good work habits and turns them into sloth. It stifles creativity, and replaces it with boredom. Forget the motivational phrase "Hump Day!" You didn't do anything to celebrate the past two days, and are sliding fast.
Thursday the burnouts are frustrated and angry. Gee, you'd think someone spit in their beer. The real problem is the guilt over the past three days of unproductivity that are gnawing at you. You want to succeed at your craft or trade, but you are afraid if you do, that you will have to keep the ball rolling... Guess what? YOU WILL! Do it and get over it.
Friday Morning the burnouts are still glum, because they can't find a solution for their malaise. "This has been a tough week," they loudly announce on their arrival to the office. Now you know why sales areas are called bull-pits. there is so much bull flying around that you can' tell if any of it will hit and stick to you. This AM group is a bunch of guilty sniveling whineaholics. By noon, they perk up a bit, suddenly remembering they can escape to the weekend soon. By 1PM they are elated, because they are about to be set free from their burnout jobs. At 2PM they will try to make a hapless showing of it, so they can justify a lie: they earned their pay. By 3PM, they wander around looking for an ear to bend, so they can plot their weekend escape, affair, or "adventure." By 4PM, the burnouts have forgotten that they still have time to make a difference. They start shuffling papers on their desks, filing, and maybe cleaning things up. Occasionally, to mask their lie, they will ask an actual business question, trying to milk it for their favorite time: QUITTING TIME! They cheat a minute or two every Friday, an bolt out the door, with a hearty "See you Next Week!"
God knows what the burnouts do over the weekend. All I know is that by Monday, the cycle repeats all over again.
When I got into the real estate business, it was because I no longer felt challenged in my former career. I wanted to find something dynamic, and people oriented that didn't involve timeclocks or "cube farms."
In real estate I have found an outlet that fulfills several needs:
Mine: Good Pay, Independence, use of creative skills, use of my education, a desire to make a difference, and never being forced into retirement.
For others: to serve people with my talents and abilities, to help people, to protect people from harm, to help people experience their dreams.
Now comes my challenge: If you are bored, frazzled, or suffering burnout, revisit why you do what you do. Check into yourself, and become personally accountable for your actions. See what you committed to do vs> what you got done.
I thin you will find some things out about yourself.If what you are doing is no longer fulfilling, and you can state that with certainty, not because you let thing slide, then examine what it is that really excites you, and find a way to DO IT!
For me, if it is dirt, on dirt, or wants to be, then that is what I live to work with. After all, I am returning to it, when I'm gone. Until then, I will be the same insuppressible, insufferable, irascible, uncontainable, lively, boisterous, exuberant, optimistic person I have always been.
All th best,
Lou Farris
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