Burnout - part 4 PURSUE YOUR PASSION
And
Okay, only one thought today - and it is a tough idea - and maybe even tougher to implement!!!
PURSUE YOUR PASSION!!
First a note of caution - we are in an economic world. We NEED money to live - money buys food, shelter, transportation, and more. If your passion is rock climbing, you may not make enough money to pay for your necessities!!
SO - a very basic question. What do you love to do? (Followed by a second question) What comes easy to you?
I think sometimes we are pushed into a job (or career) because we think it will make good money or because somebody (parents?) encouraged us to go into this line of work. I remember wanting to be a teacher since 8th grade. Somehow, deep in my brain, I thought teaching was a noble activity - helping students learn was a great time to do.
Sometimes your job really isn’t your passion, but it can lead to your passion. I think of my former janitor Steve. Steve’s passion was the New York Yankees. His job as a custodian provided him with the funds to get to many Yankee games - and also to pay for the YES (Yankee Entertainment System) channel on his TV. Steve also loved sports in general. I remembered hearing him come do the faculty row and getting the trash out of faculty offices. When I heard him coming, I would quickly check out the latest scores (especially the Yankees), the standings and the schedules. I could interact with Steve as we talked about the upcoming weekend series in Fenway Park against the Red Sox.
But, back to jobs. Do you somebody who went into teaching because there would always be the need for teachers (aka “job security”)? Is somebody in healthcare because they could make a lot of money?
My friend JB (who reads this blog) was a stockbroker and now is an entrepreneur in Central America making high-end leather products. He is totally living his life his way!! It isn’t so much that JB doesn’t like making money, but he excels in management, in seeing what can be. He is a philanthropist. I love seeing his Facebook posts with the Bravos (the children’s baseball team he sponsors), with the poet laureate of Nicaragua, helping the local orphanage. But, he really loves putting the puzzle together - how to get the raw materials that his business needs - how to get labor - what products should his company make/ - how to market them.
But, JB’s life is not easy either. He has to deal with governments and legal issues. It can be a difficult balance to make everything fit together. And (while he might not agree), he excels at that.
Over my years I was passionate about teaching. Rarely did I teach the same class in the same way - I tried new methods, new ideas, switched things around. I love seeing my students (like JB and SS and so many others) exceed.
The second article I linked to is “Ten Life Purposes to Help You Find Your passion” (https://www.jackcanfield.com/blog/finding-life-purpose/)
Back to the topic - Burnout. If you are getting burned out doing what you currently are doing - maybe it is time for a change. The old adage is “Love it - or leave it”.
It can be like a marriage - you need to keep your passion strong and growing to make a marriage work - and likewise, you need your passion to keep your life’s perspective strong and growing.
Does this make sense?
Karen
(We will return to passion in a few days - but we will move on in this burnout series for the next few days)
[I have found I have a passion for writing these blog - it keeps me fresh, and challenges me. If I have ten readers or one-hundred readers, I’m not sure it makes much difference to me (okay, it does) but I am compelled to write!!! ]
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