And so, it begins.

I’ve just returned from a week at the beach with my partner and our four kids, aged 5 to 10 years old, and I’m shattered.

Kids are fucking whiny.

Co-parents can be a pain in the arse.

I struggle without the comfort of my routines and rituals.

There were lost house keys, car vomits, bed Tetris and tantrums aplenty. 

The kids formed alliances or went to war, depending on their moods or the weather.

And yet…

I did consciously have a night cuddled up in bed with each of my littlies, and watched them as they fell to sleep, marvelling at their peaceful faces and slow breaths.

I managed to have an Epsom salted bath most evenings and soak up the view from the tub.

We binged an entire Harlan Coben on Netflix in one night.

And I read half a book.

It’s a different type of tired. It’s a cup runneth over tired. Or a snuggle down in the sheets happy tired.

Now the year begins in earnest.

Are you back at work already and thinking to yourself “I just don’t want to be here anymore?” 

Did talking about your job at all those family and social gatherings over Christmas make you feel plain yucky?

Are you on holiday somewhere nice, but just not enjoying yourself because all you can think about is how much you don’t want to go back to work?
Are you getting ready to send the littlies to daycare, kinder or school and wondering what the next stage in your career could look like?
Have you been questioning your purpose and craving more meaningful work?

Have you decided that this is the year you finally put your career on the front burner and give it the energy and attention it needs?

Are you ready to begin?

I can’t even tell you the number of “Happy Friday!”s and “Yay, it’s Friday!”s I hear. It really seems to be the norm.

I often have clients tell me how weekends are about ‘recovering’ from the week gone by, and that they are too exhausted to enjoy the weekend in the ways they would like. I have other clients who
experience such high levels of stress and burnout during the week that they are completely non-functional by Friday night.

If you are spending 5 days of the week hanging out for the 2 that follow, or unable to enjoy those 2 days because of the 5 that preceded them, it might be time to change something.

But burnout isn’t just caused by stress or overwork. 

When we’re not stimulated, motivated, lit up or feeling alive, and we’ve compromised so much of who we are that we no longer feel connected to our life?

When we squash down our needs or silence our desires for too long? 

That’s burnout too.

Beware of these silent flame-killers at work:
~ Fear-based decisions
~ No sense of ‘where to’ next
~ Leaders who micromanage
~ Not feeling challenged or stimulated
~ Continually being overlooked or passed over
~ Not having enough autonomy or agency over your work
~ Spending time on things or in environments that compromise your values

These are just as deadly as the typical burnout that comes from overwork, overstress and overwhelm.

Choose your beginning.

Most people don’t think twice about investing in the experts when it comes to money, health, fitness, business, or buying a house, so why go it alone with your career strategy and job hunt when you could have an expert in your corner?

If we haven’t met yet, book your complimentary Career Crossroads call here.