I was recently nursing a migraine in bed and watching Youtube videos to pass time. A Youtuber I follow posted a video in response to a new article about Youtubers and content creators getting burnout. When the video was done I scrolled the comments and stumbled upon one that got under my skin…and continued to 3 hours later. “I thought if you loved what did it wouldn’t feel like work.”
I believe they are right, if you find your passion it doesn’t seem like work (most of the time at least). But the commenter was missing the larger point. Getting burnt out has little to do with whether you love what you do or not. Let’s look at this abstractly. Think of the food or drink you love the most. Mountain Dew, tacos, french toast, whatever it is. If you regularly consumed that food or drink for 90 days, 180 days, or 572 days you will get sick of it. It’s what naturally happens.
Authors go through burnout in the form of writer’s block. Stephen King has talked publicly about writer’s block. Even after writing dozens of novels and short stories he gets writer’s block once and awhile. Writer’s block is an extension of burnout. This doesn’t mean Stephen King doesn’t like writing anymore or isn’t passionate about it. He feels the pressure from his publisher to stay relevant and produce good content. He feels the pressure from his fans.
As entrepreneurs (even as real estate investors) we get burnout. I’ll admit I have. There have been weeks I haven’t written blogs, created online content, did bank reconciliations, market surveys etc. I burnt out It doesn’t mean I’m not passionate about real estate investing anymore.
In fact when I get burnout I’m happy! It means I’ve been running hard and used all my mental and physical resources. I embrace hitting burnout. If I hit burnout I’m excited. I just recently hit burnout in November so when my offices were closed for the time between Christmas and New Years I was ecstatic. I spend the time recharging and still somehow managing to come up with new ideas for my real estate work.
Burnout is what makes us human. As entrepreneurs it’s what makes us relatable. We shouldn’t hide it like a sin. Wave it like a battle flag or wear it like a battle wound. Embrace it. Be grateful for it. Because if you are doing something you love it means a lot more than just being tired.