Next up in the Burnout acronym is the letter O for offside.
I’m a huge sports fan. I wasn’t very good at it playing. I played basketball and baseball as a kid, but my asthma and body size as a youth was a barrier (self-imposed) to pursue a career in sports.
I could have made changes. I could have taken better care of myself as a child. I could have chosen to be a little bit more athletic and practice. Yes, A.I., I said practice. We’re talking about practice.
You can improve yourself and you can actually stay in the game and be in balance. When you’re burned out in the game of life. You’re offside. You’re out of bounds. You’re not doing the things that you need to do because you’re too busy fighting this burned out state. Your body is in a constant state of flux, pedal to the floor constantly, which has your body’s using all its energy to repair the damage that burnout causes.
When you’re off sides or out of bounds, you’re not in the game. You’re not in the game of life. You’re not doing the things that you want to do because you’re too damn tired to do it, because your body is using all of its energy to fight the damage that you’re doing to yourself with the burnout.
Burnout is a choice.
OK, I know that may not be popular, but you chose to be burned out. The path you chose created the situation. You say, well, I’m working too many hours. My boss is a jerk. Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. All true. I don’t know your boss, but I’m guessing what you’re saying is true. You haven’t given me a reason to say that it’s not, but don’t forget you chose to work there.
You continue to work there at the time of this recording. Jobs are still plentiful. Now, that may change. We do have economic ups and downs in life. So take that into consideration. But in this world of opportunities, there are the things you can do. Yes, I know there’s other factors. You may have a mortgage payment that requires you to earn a certain level of income. Again, a choice. No one sign that lease agreement or that mortgage document for you. You did.
You chose that. You chose where you live. You chose what you eat. You chose your partner. You chose your job. You chose the car you drive. You chose the clothes you wear.
You chose to subscribe to Netflix. Instead of going to a gym, you are choosing these things, your choice, and your life. You do what you want. However, your choice is have an impact on your life. What you choose today impacts your life down the road.
Sometimes it might be even shorter than that, but your choices create these situations. If you’re burned out, it’s a choice. You chose to be out of bounds with your life. You can also choose to get back into the game, and that’s crucial. And my hope for you is that you are making that choice.