So it looked like I’m back there again: burnout. It’s what happens when you work hard, harder than yesterday, not stopping to take a breath today, all because of a tomorrow you think you want.
The past 3 to 4 years was all about hard labor, with financial struggles the first 2 and half years. I was basically broke, but I managed to get myself out of poverty and build a credible reputation as a coach and consultant. I built this reputation and practice with my own two hands. And it took effort, lots of it. I think I’m the most hard working guy I know. I wake up early to work, and keep working till right before sleep. I’ve easily put in 12- to 16-hour work days.
And every single year for the past 4 years, I’ve at some point burnt out.
It’s not a good feeling. It’s horrible. You’re so exhausted, it feels like you can’t breathe. Or that your heart will simply give up and stop pumping. You’re irritated. You’re anxious. You’re edgy. You’re in survival mode. It’s a horrible quality of life.
So this last burnout, I decided I wanted to examine why I’m doing this to myself. I know without a doubt that the way we behave is a product of our way of thinking.
I asked myself why I worked so hard and so much. Why every waking hour needed to be filled with work.
And I finally got it: I was operating under the belief that time is money.
This saying is loosely thrown around. It’s a part of our culture, especially in business.
Operating under this belief means that whenever you waste time, money is being lost, or at least opportunities to make money are being lost. This is especially true in a culture that values money very much, a culture in which money is the matrix of how successful you are. (And everyone’s chasing success, because it gives you more status, which brings you more admiration and love from others, which in turn raises your own self esteem. Which all boils down to one thing: loving yourself more. Side note: there’s a reason why I talk a lot about status and self esteem in my blogs, it all ties up.)
But back to money and its relationship with time. We value money so much now that it hinders our quality of life. We work so relentlessly to acquire more of it that we miss out on actual golden moments and even compromise our relationships with our loved ones because of it. If you only knew the amount of CEOs I coach who are well accomplished but unhappy as fuck because they’re tired, burnt out, sick, depressed, constantly worried about their status and money, in shit relationships with their loved ones, and absentminded. Their external lives may look amazing, but inside…. Shit quality of life.
Solution? How about if we gave less priority to money and status? Wait, before you freak out and go AWOL. Let’s examine this thought. I’m not saying money isn’t important in the world we live in. I’m not saying don’t buy nice things. I’m saying what if our quality of inner life were more important than money. This is only possible if you stopped giving a shit about how you are perceived in the eyes of the people around you. Maybe making 300,000 dollars a year is better than 450,000 dollars a year, if that four-fifty comes with a shit quality of life. Here’s where our thinking is going haywire: We’re under the impression, as detailed above, that an additional 150,000 dollars is better for our status, therefore our self esteem.
What if time weren’t money. What if time were living. The old belief of time is money suggests that we live to make money. Whereas if time were living, it exists so that we live. And by live I mean more than involuntary breathing, I’m taking about expressing our true selves, doing what we love with whom we love. I know, you’re about to counter it with “But, Sam, love ain’t gonna pay the bills.” And you’d be right. Money is important. So how about we come up with a different equation for it. If time is not money, then what is money?
Money is the result of solving problems. Adding value to people’s lives. Changing people’s lives. The bigger the problems you solve, the bigger the value; the bigger the change, the more money you make. That change, value, and problem-solving have to be of worth to the market, though. Trading your money with time is scarce and limited, but making money for value is limitless.
We were not built to work and make money only. Sure, that’s a part of what we can do, but what we were really created to do is live. Live out loud. You never know. Maybe when you start living more, you’ll be inspired and end up making more than you ever thought possible.
What about you? When was the last time you experienced burnout or stress because of the “Time is money” notion? Would love to hear your thoughts and comments.