As a self-confessed Type A personality type, the constant drive to deliver, succeed and set high standards for myself made work/life balance a myth. Burning the candle at both ends was the only way I knew to burn it! In 2013 I started to notice signs of mental and physical burnout. All of the sudden I struggled to get out of bed in the morning, I got sick several times that year and caffeine was the only thing getting me through the day. Looking back, someone was trying to get my attention but I didn’t listen. Then in 2015 I had a complete crash. I woke up with a sense of dread every day. It was all I could to to get dressed in the morning and go to work. I was dead tired after lunch, sleep didn’t help and my wife told me I was getting really negative. I started to complain more and appreciate less. My ability to handle stress was shot- it seemed like every little thing would push my anxiety over the edge.
After a couple of months of my life and body not working anymore, I had an epiphany: someone was trying to get my attention (call it the universe, God, my inner wisdom). The way I’d been doing life for 40 years was no longer sustainable. This anxiety and fatigue were warning signs of my body shutting down so I HAD to pay attention. I was stuck trying to win the rate race and in the process burning out my brain and body. I decided to make a change.
That day I stopped checking my email, walked down the street with my journal to a park bench, sat down and created my “Dream 2.0”. Dream 1.0 was all about pushing, striving, measuring up and what I was supposed to achieve. That mentality allowed me to achieve some cool things, but that life was no longer sustainable. I needed an upgrade. My crash was the perfect opportunity to create a new life that worked, an upgraded dream- Dream 2.0.
After laying out my new dream, I got some special testing, and got busy creating balance in my life and space for what was most important to me. I stopped missing soccer games, cut way down on my hours at work without sacrificing income and cut my stress levels by 80%. I could breathe again. I could connect with my family and I was MORE effective in my career without all the strain. Dream 2. 0 is trusting instead of striving, allowing rather than pushing. My small world (my wife and kids) is light years better and I’m making a much bigger impact the the BIG world- without the anxiety, stress and stretching everything thin.
How did I do that? Months and months of searching, coaching, reading and testing to take back my life! Through the Burnout To Breakthrough podcast and Burnout Rescue program, I want to save you the time and tens of thousands of dollars I spent to get my life back. I want to help you reclaim your mojo.