The Secret to Avoiding Burnout / by Alexander Lyadov

Do you want to burn out doing your own thing?

Probably not, but in any company, the flame regularly flares up. Founders, CEOs, consultants, managers, and apprentices all burn out. It's like business bankruptcy when a previously taken large loan cannot be paid off. The source of living water has dried up. Not only the forest but also the root system has turned to ash.

One of the reasons for this is a lack of respect for Chaos. Even 23-time Olympic swimming champion Michael Phelps is no match for a stormy ocean. Michael's resources are limited, but the resources of the ocean are not. Professionals recognize and respect the Unknown. Novices are carefree because they haven't seen catastrophic consequences yet. Chaos burns novices like clay: those who are lucky will strengthen, and those who are not will fall apart. This is how experience is bought.

However, a professional can also burn out if he (or she) becomes arrogant and decide to take a lofty height alone, cutting off the safety rope. Knowing the limits of one's competence is a sign of a mature master. In this sense, it is hardest for entrepreneurs, as they cannot help but be on the tip of the spear. CEOs, managers, or consultants spend most of their time on familiar territory, while the founder mostly wanders in dense forests. Perhaps that's why serial entrepreneurs have a paradoxical combination of confidence: "How much I can already do" and humility: "How little I still know." Seeing the founders' reverence, Chaos does not burn them but blesses them beyond expectation.

Yours sincerely,

-Alexander


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