The Joe Bag O’Doughnuts blog By Barnaby Howarth Blog #15 Nipping burnout in the bud –BEFORE and AFTER

When my little brother was younger and was trying to decide with his mates whether to have one more beer at the pub or be sensible and go home, they would tell each other…

“We’re here for a good time, not a long time.”

Then they would all go and buy another beer and continue the party.

This sage advice came in handy for me recently, when I went on the hustle and grind of trying to pick up more work than I could handle because I thought “Success“ meant being busy and building my “personal brand“ and reputation, but after looking down the barrel of burning myself out, I made some changes in my life and success is finding me.

I am not trying to say these are the perfect steps for ANYBODY to take to avoid burnout, but this is what I did and it is working pretty bloody well, so take your leave as much or as little as you like:

1. Find the goodness in the people around you

The crowd at my speaking event at Erina Leagues Club was sparse but included some really good people...

Photo includes former international cricket umpire - Simon Taufel football operations and player development manager at the Rugby League Players Association (RLPA) – Simon Roberts (Who booked me for a speech to the RLPA a few weeks later), Co-founder of Fintech Waddle (A company that was sold to Xero for $80 million in 2020 - Nathan Andrews & expert carrot farmer - Brendan Rogers - Creating Confident Leaders

2. Don’t fake Success

My “time in range” on my insulin pump for my diabetes – ideally, this number should be 100%, but on a trip to Canberra I forgot to pack enough spare insulin amd my levels were out of control for 2 days

I didn’t panic and kept making good decisions, and when I got back home to Sydney that number went from 0% to 92%.

I hosted a series of 5 speaking events recently called “Reconnect the Disconnect” and due to my lack of skills in most things, the numbers of bums on seats wasn’t spectacular...

...at 1 event, not 1 person turned up!

I didn’t panic and kept making good decisions and have since co-hosted the Everyday Greatness podcast with the Sydney Swans .

Sat on a panel at “Change the Game” talking about purpose thanks to Steve Tolen

Gave a speech at the Rugby League Players Association

Launched my new program – “Chat with Fat” – a low-cost, high impact resilience coaching session with Prudence Rehab

Have joined forces with Julie Watson and Stronger Than My Excuses and get planning underway for season 8 of Everyday Greatness from Wests Tigers Centre of Excellence with panellists including Socceroos legend and former captain Paul Wade OAM , 1990 surfing world champion Pam Burridge , Sydney Roosters winger in the NRLW Brydie Parker , the Matilda’s coach who gave today’s superstars their starts – Tom Sermanni & deputy chef mission for the Australian Olympic team, former Hockeyroos captain and gold medallist Mark Knowles .

3. Don’t be afraid to say NO

All of us have said yes to an opportunity then walked away shaking our heads wondering why we did it – it takes strength to say no to things that don’t align with your values – so be strong and certain about the value you are trying to add to the world, and if somebody offers you something that doesn’t fit with that (even if it pays squillions of $$$) – just say no.

As my brother said, “we are here for a good time, not a long time” – if you are feeling overwhelmed and doing things you don’t particularly like, take some time out – spend time with your family and enjoy life – things will become clearer the better you feel about yourself.

And if somebody offers you something you aren’t sure about be strong and say NO – you won’t regret it. You might experience a bit of short-term pain, but the long-term gain will make it all worthwhile.