Charting Course To A Deeper, More Meaningful Life

CHAPTER 13

TAMING THE STRESS MONSTER

Burnout is real…

Success at whatever you choose to pursue can become addictive. For many, the more success you achieve, the more you will desire it. Experts say this is because your brain produces a chemical called dopamine. I ask you to consult with the experts if you want to fully understand the scientific effects and explanation, but to summarize in the best layman’s terms I can cobble, dopamine is produced in the brain when we win, and it is addictive. 

So as you find success in your journey, be aware of this. Many career-driven warriors wear stress like a badge of honor as they strive for greater career accomplishments. They work 6-7 days a week and seldom shut down. That was me for a significant part of my life. I would travel all week, attending meetings or shows, then work several more hours at night in the hotel room. When I arrived home after a long travel day, I would kiss my wife and kids, then sit on the couch, and check emails. 

Saturday morning came, and I would be checking more emails, while I created a list of follow-ups from the week that passed. 

The business made me feel needed, and important. As I was busy making myself larger than life in my own mind, my community, and in particular my family, was drifting away from me. Worse than that, my healthy self was quickly dying. I was burning out while thinking that made me a hero... It didn’t.

I knew I needed to change, that day on the plane. As I watched out the window, it occurred to me that heroes are people who treasure the things they love most and are willing to sacrifice for them. My sacrifices were being made for money, and recognition. Those weren’t things I loved. 

Staring out that plane window, I realized that I was making sacrifices for a man who would, and did, throw me under the bus just to make himself look better. I also realized that my family and I were the ones being sacrificed. 

I loved my job. I educated people on how to build warmer, more energy-efficient homes. I traveled all around North America and got to meet many interesting people. It was challenging, and it was rewarding. But my job, on its own, wasn’t enough. As I obsessed with making another sale, and in my mind, getting one step closer to saving the world, I recognized that it was time to save myself. I was burnt out. Admitting it didn’t mean I was weak, or any less capable of doing my job. In fact, it meant that if I was going to keep doing my job, as well as I was, I needed to develop some strategies to balance my life and save myself. 

Rules For A Healthy Self...