Here's a new one: Pre-TSD.
That's right; it's when one stresses about reliving the same experience again.
It's PTSD, but for the future!
In a coaching session yesterday, I asked my client if his burnout 4 years ago was digested.
Yes and No, he replied.
Yes, because he is more aware now of managing his workload and health.
No, because he fears experiencing burnout again if he takes on another big job.
Burnout happens to driven and ambitious people relentlessly following their vision.
And yet, these are precisely the skills I look for when interviewing talent.
So, technically speaking, burnout is 1- a sure sign you have what it takes to go to the moon -or Mars for the daredevils- and
2- even common to those pioneering uncharted planets and frontiers.
I use the spaceship analogy to illustrate a career's arc.
A spaceship needs a lot of jet fuel to break free of gravity.
Once you are past the atmosphere, you no longer need the burst of power that came with that big gas tank.
The spaceship lets go of the tank because there's zero gravity in outer space, and it needs less energy to travel far and wide.
Instead, you need to transition to a source of energy that will sustain your long-distance journey.
In the earlier stages of our careers,
We depended on external validation to show us the right direction, to take the right actions, the right way to go, and the right things to do.
We were like A+ students who wanted to do everything perfectly and had to be told how to do that.
But I'm going to guess that most or all of us are now at a different stage in our lives.
We've accomplished a lot.
We've learned a lot,
We don't need to depend on external validation.
We can transition from the jet fuel, power, and external validation to the slower, steadier, less dramatic fuel that comes from validating yourself and your accomplishments.
Imagine yourself opening up a solar panel in outer space and letting it rise to the surface and draw our energy from a slower, steadier, more reliable source.
We don't need somebody else to give us an A+ when we know in our hearts that we're earning that through our actions and commitment.
Take stock of all the things you did well today.
And celebrate yourself for all the big and the small achievements along the way.
Internal validation is a renewable fuel that costs very little.
So you won't risk running out of gas and burning out.
Your fully charged batteries can now power bigger and better rockets.
Love is an inside job, and not everyone is your ex!
It's V-day, share the love.
Agate
Want more?
New Podcast Episode 29: Post Burnout, you are ready to work fun and play fun.
LOVE OUT LOUD...love explained in 2:42mn. Thanks Jeremie!
And even watches dream of the moon.