#straightfromcait: Passion is Not A Vaccine Against Future Burnout, No Matter What Instagram Meme's Say

Hi Fried Fans!

Your #straightfromcait episode this week got me a little fired up.

I saw this quote by Simon Sinek floating around IG a few weeks ago and - well, I have a bone to pick with it. Let me preface this by saying I love Simon Sinek. His work is inspirational to me and this is in no way a judgment or criticism on him. I know that there are a few quotes from my book that I don’t stand by when they are written alone - it’s the full context that makes things make the most sense.

In fact, when Annick Ina (the woman who helped me launch my book) had her VA write up some quotes to share from The Bouncebackability Factor for promotions, I nixed one of them because I hated it on it’s own - it’s not the message I want to share. I went back and read the whole chapter and felt good about it, but as a single sentence.. Ick.

So, with that incredible pre-amble, I’m going to read this quote and tell you why I dislike it.

 

“Working hard for something we don't care about is called stress: Working hard for something we love is called passion." ― Simon Sinek

If I’ve said this once, I’ve said it a million times. YOU CAN STILL BURN OUT IF YOU’RE WORKING AT YOUR PASSION!

Being out of alignment with what you’re meant to be doing in the world is but one small piece of the burnout puzzle. Being in alignment with what you’re meant to be doing and overworking, overgiving, undercharging, and having shitty boundaries will still burn you out - no matter how passionate you are.

There are so many pieces to living a well lived life. There are so many pieces to building a sustainable business and yet there are few hard and fast rules. Most pieces need to be adjusted and upgraded as we go. Systems change, rules change, our energy changes - and we need to learn to respect that.

I have been following my passion my whole damn life. Hell, I left nearly a full academic scholarship at Boston University on a pre-med track to head to California and take out massive loans to study Chinese medicine. I paid back those massive loans in 9 years - but it added to my burnout. Needing to earn that much more money was a burden. The loans were a burden. The patient load was a burden. My need to people please and have people like me was a burden.

I wasn’t on the wrong track. I was learning and growing and burnout is what ended up being my guide. Burnout taught me how to balance passion with energy. Enthusiasm with boundaries. Love for my work with love for my life.

So, Simon - apologies. This wasn’t an attack on you - but I really really don’t like that statement. I don’t need to see more incredibly talented and passionate people burn out because they aren’t respecting their edges.

I want to see more people enjoying their passion AND their lives. I want to see more entrepreneurs building businesses that they love AND are sustainable. I want entrepreneurs to feel less guilty and more proud when they choose days of rest and restoration knowing that it only makes their business better when they feel 100%. I want to see entrepreneurs building lives they love that aren’t their business so they aren’t living it 24/7. Love your business, but enjoy your hobbies, friends, and family too.

If you feel burdened by the constant barrage of info that tells you you should feel great when you follow your passion but you find yourself feeling like your passion is a boulder that is slowly crushing you, book a call - let's fix it.

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