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I know burnout well. Personally and professionally, I have met this nemesis on the field of battle (our hearts and minds) and the conflict continues.
I imagine you know that enemy as well.
So many of my clients and friends over my multi-decade coaching career have been taken out at one time or another by it. Some, unfortunately, lost the battle and it is tragic.
I am a big fan of John Eldredge and his book/movement: Wild at Heart. John and his talented team recently released a series of free cinema-quality videos on their YouTube channel.
These videos are not about business, per se. However, like all examinations of what challenges us, they definitely are relatable to our lives as business owners.
I believe, more and more, that the root cause of burnout is disconnection.
Our hearts are disconnected from our businesses and our lives. Many of us didn’t start out that way, but gradually and insidiously, the world poisoned our hearts and we lost our purpose.
So many businesses don’t sell and there are many different reasons. At the core of it, I think the business owner becomes so burned out that they don’t have the belief and energy to propel them to move to the next level on exit planning…or even running it. This is an epic tragedy that has ripples throughout communities and can devastate economies locally.
When your heart is connected to your business you are ‘inoculated’ against burnout in many ways.
You know why you are doing what you are doing and are able to be more resilient to challenges and struggles. This connection doesn’t eliminate the challenges and problems, but rather it provides a margin for you to recover from it.
Who is helping you fight burnout or prevent it?
You need community and you need it now.
This is a challenge for successful business owners, and I have a few suggestions.
- Read Wild at Heart and learn more about their organization. They have stuff for all of us.
- Watch this prologue to their video series and get back in touch with yourself and your heart.
- Explore joining a mastermind group filled with other business owners. This could be industry-specific or agnostic. If there isn’t one meeting locally, there are plenty of them that meet virtually. If you are a financial advisor who owns your own practice, I run some and you can find more about them at the Strategic Referral Team webpage. Another great place is LXCouncil.
- Call up a friend of yours that owns a business and schedule a couple of hours to just talk. Give yourselves enough space to be able to get comfortable and be able to open up. Even better, invite them on a hike.
- Get outside on your own. Fly fishing is very special to me because it is where I began to climb out of burnout and depression.
- Interview some consultants who specialize in helping you grow a business that is connected to your heart and purpose in life.
Pretty heavy stuff I realize for a business blog, but I make no apologies. This is really what I have observed over decades of being blessed and honored to help business owners who are financially successful feel like it was worth it AND be equipped and empowered to fight on.
You are unbelievably special and amazing. There isn’t anyone like you, and there never will be again.