Burnout Turns Your Volume Down
It does not heal on its own.
Your brain is a record of everything you’ve experienced and we evolved to remember all the “dangerous” things more than the good things.
where the predators lurk was more important than where food might be
the high stakes meeting failure is more important than the normal Tuesday afternoon meeting
If you’ve burned out before, playing all out will not be accessible to you.
When I was in my late 20s and was already an urban bicycle commuter, I wiped out and got hurt pretty bad.
I was turning, very slowly, on some sandy grit on the road and my wheels went out from under me.
I fell over, hit my head (wearing a helmet thankfully), got road rash on my face and left arm.
It hurt a lot physically.
For at least 18 months after that, I couldn’t take corners without remembering that event.
Your body remembers the bad shit and reminds you of it so you don’t do it again. It is protecting you.
I had to learn to take corners fast again
Before the wipe out on the sandy grit, I took corners fast. I biked as fast as I could as often as I could. I really hit it hard and enjoyed it.
After the wipeout, I held back. Especially on corners.
For a while, I didn’t realize I was doing it. My arm was still healing and my face was still tender from the impact.
Then, long after the physical wounds had healed, I realized that I had become a slow turning biker.
It doesn’t heal on its own.
At the point when I became aware that I’d become a slow turning biker, I had to consciously work on that.
I’d realize I was remembering the wipeout right before every turn and slow down.
Once I became aware of it, I could make a new choice.
At first, I just noticed it.
Then I gained confidence biking a bit faster, noticing that was safe.
Then I would anticipate corners consciously and choose to feel safe round them.
Then I chose to feel safe while going faster.
I had to consciously choose to remember to be a confident biker who went fast around corners before I could actually do it.
Burnout doesn’t heal on its own either.
Just like with the bike wipeout, burnout didn’t heal on its own either.
I burned out twice before I turned 40 and the reality was that I wasn’t playing full out in my career anymore.
It felt like I was on the sidelines, on the bench if you will. Watching everyone kicking ass while I was recovering.
At first this felt helpful, important even.
Then I realized I’d become someone who didn’t play full out. That really bothered me.
Just like with the bike, I had to choose to consciously become someone who played full out in my career again.
Sitting on the sidelines felt like:
noticing opportunities to perform better and choosing to do nothing.
seeing how my team could be more effective, but choosing to stay the same.
avoiding confrontation that could result in reprimand.
sitting back instead of acting.
How to heal burnout
If you’ve burned out once or are burning out, you’ll need to consciously choose something else. Your body will not heal on its own.
At a very high level, you’ll need to follow this process
Become aware of where you’re holding back.
Resource yourself so that you can try something new.
Think, act, and feel like the version of you who plays full out.
Repeat steps 1-3 until they are automatic.
Where to start
If this resonates and you are ready to get back in the game in a way that does NOT lead back into burnout, then join me for one of my next master classes.
Unearthing Your Genius Master Class - June 26 through August 14
We’ll meet eight times for an hour each and cover the eight steps in my proven process to transformation. You’ll be in a small group of people who are also ready to transform their lives.
The framework - understand the process of becoming a new person.
Awareness - recognizing and breaking cyclical patterns.
Vision - get clear on your Big Dream and learn how to get it by thriving.
Operating System - explore two frameworks to help you increase awareness.
Conscious Choices - tools to become Future You
Heart - acclimating to being more in your reality and less in other’s realities
Lover Words - learn how to cultivate states of being you want to live by
Embodying - bringing knowledge into practice beyond the course.
Change Your Mind…Create New Results
Come learn with me in person on July 15 and 16 in Minneapolis, MN. I’ll train you on the tools and practices I’ve used in my own personal life for the last five years. During this two day intensive you’ll learn:
the neuroscience of change.
four practical tools to change.
two models of change.
the connection between your thoughts, feelings, actions, and your personal reality.
to become aware of unconscious thoughts, habits, and emotional reactions that may be limiting your potential.
how to shift from a state of survival to a state of creation.