From Burnout to Breakthrough: Rediscovering Your Drive After Decades in Business
After decades of leading businesses and coaching others, I was at a crossroads. The drive that once fueled my ambitions had diminished, replaced by exhaustion from marketing and a lingering dissatisfaction with how much marketing effort was required to keep the business going strong. It wasn’t until I acknowledged my burnout that I began the transformative journey back to passion and purpose.
In this blog, I’ll share my story of facing burnout, how I rediscovered my drive, and how you can too.
Recognizing the Signs: My Wake-Up Call
Burnout often manifests subtly. For me, it showed up as a lack of enthusiasm for marketing myself, a reluctance to pursue new opportunities, and a creeping feeling of stagnation. It wasn’t a dramatic collapse but a slow erosion of joy and purpose. Recognizing these signs was the first step toward change.
Lessons From My Journey:
1. Reflection and Honesty: I had to confront my feelings and reflect on what brought me to this point. This process wasn’t easy, but it was necessary. I revisited the activities that once fulfilled me and asked myself what had changed. I required outside professional help to understand what had changed. Yes, I was at an age when many people retired, but that would not work for me. I had more fire left inside.
Lesson Learned: Outside professional help was necessary to get perspective on how to rekindle my passion.
2. Reconnecting With My Values: The grid that I was using to locate myself wasn’t fitting who I am as a person, which left me without an identity. My business and coaching career were built on helping others succeed.
Lesson Learned: Over time, it’s easy to drift from our core values and purpose. I realized that my company’s four (4) core values and purpose were fine. But they are different from my life’s core values and purpose. Finding and redefining life’s values and purpose helped me see a path forward. These had nothing to do with my business values and purpose. The system or grid I used to locate myself didn’t work. I needed a new grid that was organic to who I am.
3. Letting Go of Control: Many people realize they are holding onto too much. Delegating tasks and trusting others frees them to focus on what they truly love. For me, my focus had already been reduced to guiding others and sharing insights. I have long since outsourced accounting, lead generation, social media and website management.
Lesson Learned: I was living my best life as a coach and was a good example for others wanting the lifestyle that I had. There is nothing for me to focus on here. Although I had let go too much of the marketing and business began to slide down as a result, the “silver lining” here was that I needed to rediscover my passion and purpose.
4. Rediscovering Personal Passions: Beyond work, I explored activities that brought joy and creativity into my life. I spent more time playing sports like pickleball and tennis, physical activities like Pilates, and crafts like cooking. These pursuits reminded me that there’s more to fulfillment than professional success.
Lesson Learned: I needed to reconnect with passions outside of my coaching in favor of “hidden” passions that don’t require too much physicality. Since I had lightened up on hard-core skiing and snowboarding, long-distance road cycling, mountain biking, and level 2-3 hot yoga classes, I had to find other interests less demanding physically so I got into Pickleball and Pilates, long walks, cooking and current events. Also, part of the answer for me was to surround myself with beauty, design, and culture … and most importantly, to spend time with people I love and who love me.
Stories That Resonated With Me
I wasn’t alone in this struggle. Reading about leaders like Howard Schultz, who returned to Starbucks with renewed clarity, or Arianna Huffington, who turned a personal health crisis into a mission to promote wellness, have inspired others. Their stories teach us that burnout can lead to breakthroughs.
Building a Sustainable Future
Recovering from burnout isn’t a one-time fix. I’ve learned to prioritize self-care, set boundaries, and reflect regularly on my values. And, to develop myself as a person and my interests. I’m still working on this, but I had to rediscover what I like to read, such as business books and self-help books, a staple of mine for decades, which had lost most of their fascination. And, surrounding myself with supportive people and focusing on the bigger picture keeps me grounded.
How to Recover from Burnout While Working:
- Getting enough sleep.
- Hiring people to help you with tasks that don’t bring joy.
- Reconnecting with your passions.
- Spending more time with friends and family.
- Spending time in nature.
- Networking or joining groups with other entrepreneurs or leaders.
- Strengthening social relationships.
Sharing to Inspire
Sharing my experience isn’t just about catharsis; it’s about connection. If you’ve felt burnout’s weight, know you’re not alone. By recognizing the signs and taking intentional steps, you can transform burnout into a catalyst for growth. My journey is ongoing, but every step forward brings renewed energy and clarity. If my story resonates with you, I hope it inspires you to take the first step toward your own breakthrough. That’s how you write your succession story.
~ Jonathan Goldhill
P.S. – I’m looking to work with business owners who want to exit their businesses and next-gen leaders who want to scale up. If you want to over burnout, discuss growth and navigate change, contact me here.