If you missed this blog on executive burnout, it might be worth a peek.

Because over the course of four client conversations last week, it’s clear:

Many of you are wiped.

So it seems there’s more to explore here.

A few things:

The first:  On a very practical level, are there tasks that you can offload, at home and at work?  Really think about that.

The second: In the last blog, I suggested that we might frame this time, this ultramarathon experience, as something more than to be endured, and I’m getting curious about what we’re telling ourselves.

To be clear: I am not suggesting that we Pollyanna our way through this and that pretending to be upbeat is the answer.  Rather, let’s listen in for what we’re thinking about the experience and ask if we feel better or worse for it.  Is the frame that we’re using one that gives us understanding and meaning and energy or does it make the already-heavy burden heavier?

For more on how to explore and identify your thoughts, go here for Byron Katie’s work (scroll down to “Question” and “Turn it Around”).  A good coach should have good ears for this and be able to work with you in truly shifting your thinking.  I always tell clients that you know you’ve hit a real turnaround when it resonates as true in your body.  That’s when things start to wiggle and loosen up.  My own experience is that our limiting narratives are most pronounced during times of stress and can be very, very sneaky.  And powerful.

Relatedly, a couple of questions I use when feeling like I’m carrying a lot:

What do I want to make of this time?  How do I want to use it?  (In other words, this may be really rough, but what am I going to do with it, take from it, learn from it?)

Which leads me to the third: As counterintuitive as it sounds, consider if there’s something calling that, even if it feels challenging or terrifying, lights you up inside.  Something that this ultramarathon has illuminated for you.

Follow those breadcrumbs.

 

If you’re at a career crossroads, I’m offering a  1 hour cost-free webinar on September 14th at 10am ET: “3-Factor Authentication: How to Decide What You Want, Pursue the Right Opportunities, and Land Your Ideal Role or Go Out on Your Own”

To grab your seat, hit reply.