Burnout doesn’t always happen at 115mph. Sometimes it’s at 5mph.
A few years ago, as I was training to run in our city’s Turkey Trot 5K and feeling pretty good about myself huffing and puffing up the hill next to our post office.
That’s when I was passed by a cheerful (who is cheerful when they’re running?!) woman pushing a DOUBLE stroller. Yes, I said “passed.”
As her jaunty ponytail bobbed on up the hill, I wanted to just stop and walk back to my car. Why bother? Who was I kidding?
Don’t we feel that way sometimes when we’re attempting a new project, developing an entrepreneurial idea, or seeking customers/clients?
It doesn’t take long for Imposter Syndrome to clutch our ankles as we keep trying to gain traction, only to feel overwhelmed, outgunned, and exhausted.
Burnout can happen at 115mph or 5mph. Boundaries and managing our mental boardroom can give us guidewires for direction, gas for our tank and inspiration to keep going when we really want to quit.
I finished that Turkey Trot practice run and many more after that. I may not be a gazelle pushing a double stroller but I didn’t quit and I finished the Turkey Trot!
