Burnout Syndrome

“BURNOUT Syndrome” The Scientific American Mind may not be one of the magazines sitting on your coffee table, but it's on mine. Or at least the June/July issue is. I was flying back to Portland from Kansas City after attending a 2- day certification FastTrac certification program last month. (See the end of the article below for more information on FastTrac.) In Detroit on a 2-hour stopover between Portland, ME and KC, MO, I walk past rows and rows of magazines, Detroit souvenirs and unhealthy snacks. The headline BURNOUT screams out at me; stops me dead in my tracks. I stare at it for a moment and then turn to make my way over to the magazine rack for a closer look. Small business owners (particularly the owner of a business just celebrating a 1-year anniversary - yours truly) can be at high risk of burnout. Even though business is developing as it should and we love our work, it is never easy, there are never enough hours in the day and sometimes having to do it all AND find any time to decompress seems impossible. You add that all up and it’s easy to see how burnout happens. Per the Burnout article, “Even though your job or career might be extremely fulfilling, it can also be extremely demanding--and you feel overwhelmed. You are not alone.” Great, we're not alone. Burnout “tends to hit the best”, those with “the most enthusiasm who accept responsibility readily.” That’s good, too. People who own their own business aren’t in business successfully for long unless they have enthusiasm and accept responsibility. The author goes on to say “If someone works 12 hours a day, every day, yet still has found a way to relax, he will very likely have no problem.

” Ð'©Bold Vision Consulting, Inc. 2006 page 1 of 4