Book Reviews, Comments & Stories, Quotes, & Poetry & More
"Connections and Why They Matter"
Most of what happens in our life will spark a connection. Life connects with what has been found in books. Books connect with what happens in life. Use the connections to help you see more clearly. A love of reading and writing is what motivated the creation of this blog. Thank you for coming to the blog.
There is nothing new about the ideas behind Stephen Covey’s 7th habit that he wrote about in his 1989 book “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People”. His message was that we should disconnect from the outer world to take time and recharge our batteries.
From Lincoln’s comment that If he had six hours to chop down a tree, he would spend the first four hours sharpening the ax, anyone who has ever chopped down a tree knows, of course, that time spent sharpening the ax is well worth it and will save more time than it costs. Dull axes mean you don't chop but instead just pound and pound. Time spent pounding suggests that recharging one’s batteries and rethinking would be wise.
Whether or not you are out of work, your skills have become dated. A close examination of your skills would be timely and before you draw any conclusions, remember: You don't know what you don't see, so you need to study your industry. Find out what is new. Find out what the competition is doing. Never stop learning.
Burnout is often blamed on job stress that affects an individual’s physical and emotional state and causes mental exhaustion. Often burnout is considered the fault of management, suggesting that the workplace is not managed correctly.
Finding your ideas considered out of date leads to boredom. Placing the blame for boredom leads to denial of what may be the real problem of outdated ideas. I was talking with an old friend about his successful career. He told me he felt his longevity in the industry was perhaps perceived as a negative and wondered if others in the industry felt the same about his longevity. I had to ask myself how this could be. His vast experience should be viewed by himself and others as “added wisdom” gained by trial and error. His viewpoint spoke loudly to his own “burnout,” but is that what years of work must lead to?
The dictionary definition of burnout is “the end of the powered stage in a rocket’s flight when the propellant has been used up.” With people, a lot of energy pursuing various goals is used up, and when people are burned out, they feel somewhat used up and complacent. You can hear the burnout in someone saying, “We tried that once before, and it didn’t work so it won’t work now.” Think of new approaches or new ways to use old products and concepts. This will provide you with renewed energy. As a veteran, you shouldn’t worry about making a mistake. You, of all people, should know that a failure or setback becomes an opportunity.
When worrying about burnout, we should stop thinking about the past and look to the future. Don’t start by asking yourself how things have always been done but look back at your past experiences and ask yourself what has changed and why. What is changing in the marketplace right now? Study your industry and learn new things.
Business analyst and author Peter Drucker have said, "The best way to predict the future is to create it."
