The Beauty of Burnout

We should never feel bad about burning out.

It’s part of the life experience.

None of us is invulnerable to the emotional exhaustion that
comes with the territory of being an entrepreneur. Or an artist. Or a leader.
Or a parent. Or a whatever.

Burnout affects
everybody, everywhere.

It’s human, it’s healthy, it’s helpful, and best of all, it’s humbling. It’s a reminder that, despite our best efforts, life is a
carousel of sugar and shit, not a yellow brick road to happily ever after.

So where we triumph is when we stop trying to run from burnout
– or, worse yet, trying to conquer it – and instead, try to recognize it, respect
it and reinvest it.

If that means admitting that what once turned our gears
feels a bit rusty, so be it.

If that means articulating that business isn’t going like
gangbusters, so be it.

If that means accepting that surf’s up on the waves of
anxiety, so be it.

Because no matter how strong, how successful, how creative,
how driven, how committed and how supportive we may feel, we can’t outsmart
getting tired.

All we can do is stop, breathe, replace guilt with
gratefulness, overwhelm fear with faith, smother cynicism with trust, and
surround ourselves with people who make us laugh until we pee.

Besides, being burned out is a lot better than having no
fire in the fist place.