By Brent Jones | Originally published April 3, 2020 | Revised August 2025
Burnout is often blamed on external factors—unreasonable job expectations, poor leadership, or unsustainable workloads. While these certainly contribute, burnout doesn’t always originate from what’s happening to us. Sometimes, it’s what’s not happening within us.
When we stop learning, we stop growing. And when we stop growing, we start to fade. That slow erosion of curiosity and engagement is just as dangerous as stress or exhaustion. It breeds complacency, cynicism, and a sense that nothing new is possible. You don’t have to hate your job—or even be bad at it—to feel burned out. You just have to feel disconnected from it.
This can apply to any area of life: parenting, creativity, relationships, leadership, faith, even hobbies. When the purpose gets blurry and we stop exploring, we begin to run on autopilot—and eventually, on empty.
I was speaking with an old friend about his long and successful career. What surprised me was how conflicted he felt about his longevity in the field. Rather than pride in his depth of experience, he questioned whether others saw him as outdated. His doubt—quiet but telling—was a sign of something deeper: not just burnout, but disconnection from meaning.
It made me ask myself: how often do we confuse experience with being “done”? Why do we let the wisdom of age or familiarity become a burden instead of a strength?
There’s a dictionary definition of burnout that has always stayed with me: “The end of the powered stage in a rocket’s flight when the propellant has been used up.”
That metaphor hits hard. The feeling of being used up, of having nothing more to contribute, is what defines true burnout. It’s not always about being tired—it’s about feeling finished.
But what if burnout isn’t a signal to quit? What if it’s a cue to re-engage?
If you find yourself saying, “We tried that before and it didn’t work,” pause. Ask instead: What’s different now? What can I do differently this time? Sometimes, the same idea applied with new perspective can yield completely new results.
Reinvention doesn’t always require a grand gesture. It starts with staying curious. Ask questions. Read widely. Listen to people who are newer than you. Explore ideas that challenge your assumptions.
Don’t begin with “how things have always been done.” Start by asking, What’s changed? What’s changing right now? And how can I change with it—without losing what matters most to me?
Peter Drucker once said, “The best way to predict the future is to create it.”
Whether it’s your industry, your relationships, your creativity, or your sense of purpose—create a future worth staying engaged with. Keep learning. Keep asking. Keep experimenting.
Because when you stay a student, burnout has a much harder time catching up to you.
