Hi Everyone!
At the end of August my Dad sent me this
email. I was re-reading it today and asked him if I could share it with you all :) Our hope is
this will speak to, and help, someone else like it did me...
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Over the years of supervising
others, I've seen a lot of people who were "burned out" with what
they're doing. In the type of sales I've done, having those feelings
seemed to come and go regularly. More importantly, there are some things
that can be done to overcome burnout because burnout is a mental state of mind
that has more than likely been acquired over time.
As a Christian, the most important
thing to remember is that on the journey of faith, there are NO
coincidences. God has either planned or permitted every situation in your
life for your benefit to grow in holiness and love of Him and neighbor.
Each situation provides an opportunity to DIE TO INORDINATE SELF-LOVE (which,
along with pride, is the root of all sin and the biggest obstacle to loving God
and neighbor unconditionally). Trying to work through burnout may seem
like you're nailed to a cross. And that may be true. But remember,
Christ was nailed to a Cross which turned out to be the greatest gift for all
mankind. The crosses God permits in your life are similar, and ALL OF
THEM can produce good fruits if you know how to turn them into profit. NO
cross should ever be wasted because you tried to run away from it. Like
Jesus, we need to embrace our crosses (in this case burnout) with love because
God is working good things through them provided that we do everything for the
love of Jesus:
- Accept your crosses as being a gift from God.
- Cooperate with the work God is trying to perform in you by the particular cross. In this case burnout, it may be that you need to acquire the virtue of patience, for example. This may be the best way to grow in patience with self and others...
- Thank Him for the cross and willingly accept the suffering for as long as He permits it (this too shall pass).
- Everything you do in work (and life) should be done solely for the love of Jesus.
- When you work at anything (especially when it's difficult), remember that you're doing this for Jesus, not for yourself of your employer although both will ultimately benefit. And so if you're doing your best to please Jesus, everyone wins, especially YOU! And over time, the weight of burnout will disappear because you're not thinking about yourself and your "woes" (inordinate self-love) all the time, you're thinking only about pleasing Jesus. And He will reward you for your faithful endurance.
- Constantly throughout the day, praise and thank the Lord each time you complete a task. Give Him the glory!
- Unite your suffering and work with Jesus' Passion (His beatings, being nailed to a cross, shedding all of His blood, dying, etc.) and offer it up as reparation for your own sins and for the salvation of souls who do not know God.
- Go back to the basics and try to improve on every single thing you do. Challenge yourself to do each task better this time than you did the last time.
- If you're working with patients, think only about them and how you can bring a smile to their face or some other good thing--forget about yourself.
- Quit looking at the clock. In a burnout state of mind, looking at the clock will only intensify your negative feelings. Instead, set the alarm clock on your cell phone for breaks, lunch and ending the shift and wait for the alarm to sound.
- Pour yourself into what you're doing, every ounce of mental and physical energy and EXPECT THE BEST.
- Get rid of any "stinking thinking!" As soon as you realize that you're thinking negatively about what you're doing, check it, stop it, and change your thoughts to something positive. Replace negative thoughts with positive thoughts immediately. Don't let stinking thinking run and rule your life.
- Be grateful to God that you have a job and a way to support yourself and family.
Remember: when you've done everything on this list, do it again and again and
again. Not only will the burnout disappear, you will be happier than
you've ever been before.
Will the cross disappear?
Yes. Will there be another one? Yes! What to do when that
happens? Start back at #1 again.
CHER-Life and live WELL \o/
Cheryll