Burnout is no laughing matter

I have NOT abandoned this page, but I have been using my Facebook page to post shorter rants musings. Here’s the latest one…

Take it from a guy who’s done it twice: burnout is no laughing matter.

So why do we push ourselves so hard? For some, it’s about the pressure of being successful. For others, it’s just fun to do. Regardless of your motivation, you MUST understand three critical concepts.

First, there’s your breaking point. This is the point where you physically, intellectually, emotionally, and spiritually shut down. In four words – it sucks to be you. You are not happy, satisfied, or focused in any legitimate way. Yet you are still pushing yourself to stay the course. If you have approached (or passed) this point, stop. Now. You are only creating massive problems that will make your current fears go limp in comparison.

Second, there’s your losing point. This is the point where you begin to not be as sharp as you could be. Where you begin to “let things slip” – be they tasks or even relationships. You are tired but not weary; functional but not sharp. And you are likely telling yourself to back off a little bit (which is good) or are telling yourself to go just a little bit longer (which is bad). Or even worse, you may be telling yourself that as long as you are avoiding your breaking point you are okay. In fact, you can only justify yourself being at this stage when you compare your choice against living past your breaking point. Which brings me to my third point.

The third concept is your winning point. This is the point where you are operating at peak performance on all cylinders. This is the anchor point of top athletes. You see, after years of watching the IronMan in my hometown of Kona, Hawai’i (God forbid I would ever actually DO that race), I consistently saw the champions and top finishers run their race at the winning point. They would watch their times, monitor their heart rates, maintain their targeted pace, and so on. EVERY time I saw someone pass their winning point, their performance suffered. And the same principle applies to top performers in any profession.

Mirror moment: Do you actually know your personal breaking, losing, and winning points? At what point are you operating right now?

In closing, let me offer one more thought. Champions always have an amazing amount of FOCUS and PASSION about what they are doing. If you are losing (or have lost) one or both of these ingredients, you are not going to be a champion in this field. You must either (A) figure out how to get it back or (B) choose another field. BOTH options are legitimate. You decide which one to choose.

Your life has purpose. Live that purpose.

I mua. Onward and upward.