A Lawyer Burnout Coach's Burnout

Have you ever gotten burned out being a burnout coach?

Just me?

This year, I had to take a little of my own advice, and let me tell you how humbling that was.

I’ve spent the last several years learning everything I could about coaching and becoming a certified life coach.

For the first time in my life, I felt like I finally found what I was born to do.

…until I started having to market myself.

I'm not exactly new to running a business.

My husband and I have run a small law firm for almost 11 years now. I know that you can’t just hang a shingle, and the clients come out of the woodwork.?

It turns out, that’s true no matter what kind of business you’re in.

Even if you know it's a life changing business like coaching.

Last year, as my fledgling coaching business gained momentum and really started to get to a point where I felt success was around the corner, I got scared.

Scared of what people might say, that they weren’t interested, that I was a phony.

I had the luxury to be able to put my business on hold so that I could figure out how I wanted to move forward.

As I said, I had to take some of my own advice, and it’s been an interesting process.

Now that I’m on the other side of it, there are some important lessons I want to share.

Over the next few weeks, I’ll be sharing some of the lessons I’ve learned with you.

Lesson One: Obsession is an expletive

For me, the first indicator that something was wrong should have been how preoccupied I was.

No matter what I was doing, my business was always on my mind.?

It wasn’t even on the back burner.

It was prominently in the front, boiling over.

I lost sleep over it. I couldn’t concentrate on anything else.?

My husband says it seemed like I was always in a bad mood.

Being on the edge like that is no fun for anyone.

The reason I was so agitated is because I put so much pressure on myself and my business.

I had incredibly high expectations, and when I couldn't meet them it felt like I was a failure.

It felt like I didn't know what I was doing.

I felt like an imposter.

The more I thought it wasn't working, the more obsessed I became and the less interested I was in anything else.

I always tell my clients that you don't have to work more to be successful, but I wasn't listening to myself.

The result was that I wasn't making money, I was getting sick all the time, and I was becoming a person so opposite of who I wanted to be I could barely recognize myself.

If your goal is to be a whole person with interests and family who enjoys life, being obsessed with a business - whether it's a law practice or anything else - is incompatible.

The lesson I learned is that you can't let anything consume you like that.

You have to let go sometimes.

By learning to let go of obsession, I was able to find a healthier balance and rediscover my passion for coaching.

Can you relate? I'd love to hear from you.

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