Career Shifts: The Untold Story of a Career Burnout
The One Where I Decided to Reclaim my Life
“In the middle of every difficulty comes opportunity [to take back your life].”
-Albert Einstein, Theoretical Physicist
I experienced my first awakening to reclaim my life when…
I hit a career breaking point in the Fall of 2017. The person I describe within the About section, The Journey, of my blog is in fact, me.
I call this career burnout versus burning out because I had already experienced burnout several times within my career (although, never with the badge of pride you once gleamed with telling people you worked so hard you burnt out, that lost its “value” ages ago). Career burnout is more serious, it means you’ve experienced enough bull shit time and time again, to the point where you are done. That you know, deep within your soul, the career you once thought was perfect for you, is no longer a fit. It is when those threats in your mind of “I am just going to quit! I am going to walk out the next time the always unkind so-and-so questions a project I’ve worked so diligently on, for a company I gave a piece of my soul to with little return” take action and you find yourself establishing a deadline for when you are going to find another job, quit this job altogether without a new one and / or work hard to discover a new career that you truly love more days than you question. Most importantly of them all, it is where you wake up one morning and realize you have no idea how it is the year 2020, wondering where the time went. The reality sinks in, that it isn’t just about your job anymore, it is about your life and what has been missing from it all of this time.
The analogy I use for career burnout is it is like being in a relationship that isn’t suitable for you. You’ve had one too many late night fights (maybe wine is involved), you find yourself unable to trust their antics and sit on the edge of your seat waiting for them to text you when they are out with their friends and all awhile deep inside, you know that they are no longer good for you (all examples of mini burnouts). Then, the final straw is you discover they aren’t being loyal, and you have an epiphany, finally, that this relationship is over (you’ve reached the last level, career burnout).
You’ve had e-n-o-u-g-h and know deep within your core that this job, this role, has taken much more of you than you have received from it. That spark you once had, the extra pep in your step when you accomplished a notable project, feeling proud, sitting in a meeting pinching yourself while being there because it is just too good to be true, is all gone. The joy of the job has been depleted for a long while, you’ve just sat there wishing it would refill itself once more (instead, refilling your coffee cup over and over because that is the only source of self-care you know when extreme lack of sleep is involved and work exhaustion has set in).
That in the midst of it all, and most notably, you have lost sight of who you are, accepting numbness as your emotional norm and realize that you don’t remember the last time you truly felt or took part in something that brought you an abundance of joy, yes mostly within your current career, but also within your life.
This was me, 100%
I share this with you because I cannot tell you the amount of conversations I have had with other individuals surrounding the same moment in which they knew, that enough was enough, especially as an outcome of their career. This makes sense, right? You spend at least 45 hours a week at work, and then some depending on “busy season” (which is all of the time for most), not including nighttime conference calls with Hong Kong or weekend fire drills, it is easy almost effortless, to get lost in a role, start to equate your identity and self-worth to your title and lose that true sense of self; the person that really makes you feel damn good. Unless you love your job and have established a semblance of balance, (which is brilliant!) then it is easy to start resenting your role and in the grand scheme of things, others who seemingly have it all and love their life (because when you are experiencing an all-time low, you are not in a good place and even if you have a heart of gold, it can be challenging to sincerely be happy for Janet who just got her second promotion in two years working for a boss she loves at a company who values her, Janet - leave a message at the beep, we are happy for you, but we just can’t talk to you right now).
Sassy Sidebar
Let me also make this crystal clear. You, myself included, are not the victim of your career, your company or your job. Your life, however, has fallen victim to you.
If you are unhappy and unfulfilled, instead of venting to your best friend, closest colleague, mom or dad, brother or sister - and God bless, your significant other, take those complaints to the action-oriented bank and do something about it! It doesn’t mean you should tell Bill in the Finance Department to shove it and quit without considering your future first, but what I am telling you is to give yourself permission to look in the mirror and realize that only YOU have the power to step up, create a new vision and outlook for yourself, and to reclaim that lost piece; not your job, so as harsh as it sounds, also something I realized too (I’d like to take this time to personally thank everyone in my life for listening to my previous job complaints, you know who you are), YOU are in charge of your own happiness and life, so now is your time to reclaim it!
Amongst the internal revolution I underwent at that moment I also experienced a flicker of empowerment inside of my chest, that it was time to embrace change & take back power over my life, my emotions and my actions. In which my ego stepped down and allowed my higher self to step up (YES!). It was in this moment, that I realized, I was experiencing soul shifting clarity and a spiritual awakening to reclaim my life.
You do not have to Experience Career Burnout in Order to Desire to Reclaim Your Life
For me, this journey took me on personal path of intensive self-development work followed by a shift in career. However, a career change, or burnout, isn’t the case for everyone.
Maybe you love your job, are fulfilled, but know that something is missing (and probably, that something missing is giving yourself the gift of time to devote to self-nurture, relationships or activities that bring you true joy).
The bottom line is, whether you love what you do, or you don’t, our work lives have seemingly taken over and ruled our lives, completely. Not only that, but our Google Calendars have taken absolute control over us, making it incredibly difficult to stay present, be mindful and truly enjoy those moments our souls are meant to be living.
I share this story with you, to inform you that you are not alone. To create a sense of common humanity, to give you hope that yes, you’ve hit one hell of a wall right now, but there are countless, beautiful opportunities to surpass the storm, spread your wings and fly. That this epiphany is meant to have occurred at this exact time, because it is the moment in which you are going to see your life change for the better.
To inform you with complete confidence that this moment of realization, whether it is in the form of a burnout, exhaustion or “I just cannot do this anymore”, IS a moment of transformation, an opportunity to take inventory on your life, where you currently are now, and where you want to be and how you are going to get there - because by God, you can & you will.
“Courage is not having the strength to go on; it is going on when you don’t have the strength.”