If you had come up to me a year ago and asked, how do I fight burnout? That feeling of lostness, of where-do-I-go-nextness, of doneness, of over-it-ness in my business, How do I fight it? I would have had an eloquent answer. I would have talked about creativity, and how we can plan for these times by being prepared for riding the waves that being in a creative profession throws at us, and about how to fight. All things I would still tell you and still believe. But If you were to ask me today, How do I fight burnout? I would first answer with a question:
Do you want to?
Because you don’t have to. You don’t have to be in business for yourself. You don’t have to make stuff for a living. When we’re faced with a burnout feeling we’re faced with a choice: we can fight, or we can run. Only you can know which one is right when you step to that point, but be damn sure that you’re sure. Because maybe it’s not time to run. Maybe awesome is just on the other side of this crap-storm. Is it worth the fight to see? That’s entirely up to you.
Here’s three questions you can ask to help you figure it out:
What are you fighting for?
Why did you pick this and are you ok with picking it again, everyday, even if it sucks?
Are there any aspects of this that you could do without/change/outsource?
We need a reason to wake up in the morning that’s not money or an alarm clock. We need something to fight for, to champion. What are you fighting for? If it’s worth fighting for: Fight. Like. Hell. That’s why it’s so important to answer the why question. When you know why you’re getting of bed in the morning, you know what you’re fighting for today. We need that why to lean on when things get tough.
Fighting means you pick this. You choose to pick this every single day and you fight for it.
I wrote this as a challenge to anybody who starts this crazy journey as a professional creative and it has become a part of our manifesto:
To be courageous and brave in the face of fear. In the beginning of the void. In the midst of the wilderness. Be bold with your steps and daring in the reckless pursuit of a life you envision for yourself. Because this is it, walk like you know where you’re going and fight like hell.
If you want to fight through the burnout, here’s how:
1. Rest
2. Return to why
3. Put a plan/system in place to help you better recognize and deal with it next time
4. Keep making stuff.
We’re never going to be at 100% awesome all the time. But if we want to make something that means something, we have to be willing to fight. Is it worth fighting for?
Happy Wednesday, friends!
Chris
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