Why are you doing it?

Not only my wife, several other people have asked me this same question: ?Why are you doing it?? They see I work quite a lot, I write a lot, I read a lot, I do all sorts of things (well, except housekeeping) - even when I am tired. But, seriously, is being a bit too active that wrong?

Many people claim they are ?burnt out?. Are they really? Or is it just an excuse for not being satisfied with what they do, or a result of their dissatisfaction?

Have you ever wondered what would happen if you worked – even more? Or worked differently? Worked on things that you are passionate about, on things that complement your work, that bring extra joy to you.

That is probably what saved me from being ?burnt out?, although I must be very blunt: by today`s standards I had been burnt out several times in my life. But I survived. Was it ok? I do not know. (Maybe I am a bit burnt out most of the time. ??)

But, let`s be straight! We always seek balance. Physical vs. mental activity, work vs. pleasure (well, we know that we should enjoy in job as well!), receiving vs. giving, learning vs. sharing.

I vividly remember my student years, when most of the exams were concentrated in June, the month when there was a lot of physical work on our farm. And I did better than expected, since I combined physical and mental activity very well. I worked in the morning, mowing grass on our steep meadows, when I got tired, I sat at the table and studied for a couple of hours, when I was tired of sitting (and studying), I moved back to the field and worked again. And this pattern was repeating throughout a day, day after day – until I passed all the exams and until all the hay was safely in our barn.

And it has been the same with my regular work. I have always been balancing my job and things that I do as a hobby (or simply enjoy them).

But here comes the trick. A lot of things are inter-related, sometimes inter-twined, one activity benefits the other and vice versa. (You`ve heard about re-using or re-purposing.)

I like writing, and the more I write the better the results. The more I wrote for various magazines, ?the better were also my reports and consultancy projects at the company. Also, what I learned in my job found its way to some of my books, and vice versa, I applied some ideas from my travel books on the job as well, especially in leadership. By writing, my creativity improved as well and I learned how to express myself clearly. And as I enjoyed writing, it brought me pleasure, it was some sort of relaxation as well. Preventing “burnout”.?

I like reading (various genres), and the more I read, the more ideas I have, also related to business, to my daily work. Sometimes even novels or travel essays spark an idea for business decisions. I have been enjoying reading, it has always meant relaxation and it has fed my curiosity. Again, whenever I read, I feel pleasure. Preventing “burnout”.

And the last thing: physical activity in the mountains, hiking. It has always been an opposite from sitting at the computer. And when I hike, I also have plenty of time to think, hours and hours. Not to think intentionally but I normally let my mind wander wherever it wants to go. It is again the time for relaxation, yet also the time for finding some great ideas, sometimes solutions I seek in vain in my profession. It always brings pleasure and prevents “burnout”.

So, whenever you think you are on the verge of a “burnout”, think about balancing your current activity with something that brings more pleasure to you (and possibly some more work). Yet, try to relate one activity to the other. Try to benefit from any opposites that you encounter (or combine) in your life, planned or unplanned ones.