"Do you ever sleep?"

This was the email reply I received when I emailed one of my agents the answer to a question they had.  Did I mention that it was 3:30am on a weeknight?

This got me thinking about burnout and the inherent weirdness of being wide awake and happy at 3:30am responding to emails.  I have a theory, and I challenge you to challenge yourself with this whenever you have those feelings of "burnout."

Have you ever known someone who is truly passionate about what they do to ever complain of "burnout?"  Personally, I haven't...and I've never heard of such a person.  I believe burnout exists when you're chasing goals other than your own.  If you're not chasing your own goals, you're chasing someone else's.  It could be goals your company sets for you (biggerbetterfastermore), or it could be heightened competition...like wanting to beat out the top producer on your team.

I've experienced burnout at various points in my career and, hindsight being 20/20, I have to say I've been guilty of all the above.  If I'm honest with myself, I know the cause of my burnout was all of the above.  This is why we see some people who achieve goals and/or awards and, while we think they should be exstatic, they look rather distant and unsatisfied.  And when they speak about what they achieved, the words just don't flow.  This is simply because the achievement meant much more to someone else than it did to them.

Check your goals.  What makes you happy?  Are your daily efforts fortifying your happiness today AND for the future?  Ask yourself these questions to keep yourself focused on making your achievements meaningful to YOU.