It’s always good form to stop periodically and take stock of where I’m at, what needs doing, what needs to change and where I can just sit back and exhale.  So I’m harking back to a question I often ask myself at the beginning of the year,  “What am I committed to this year?” and forwarding my focus to the remainder of 2017.

What am I committed to for the rest of this year?

Now for me this question isn’t about the ‘doing’ end of things; not my ‘to do’ lists (which often languish) or juggling stuff (no fancy footwork here) no, it is all about the commitment side of things.  That means throwing myself heart and soul into whatever is on my viewmaster for the remaining 2.5 months of 2017 and this year, for me, that means renewing my commitment to living burnout-free.

Out of necessity it’s how I live, that is if I don’t want to dive head first into that burnout trap yet again.  It’s about being truthful with myself and owning that truth.  It’s about overcoming some sneaky form of fear that can undermine my commitment.  It’s about living enthusiastically, energetically, and ‘spirit-fully’.   

The Burnout Queens get asked pretty regularly how we make living burnout-free look easy.  Most people are surprised when we don’t rattle off a list of all the usual (but, yawn, hum drum) things like, say ‘No’, set goals, make a plan, don’t take on too much, and find balance!  Well, we practice what we preach and live to defy ordinary.

Burnout proofing your life has nothing to do with sorting the stuff in your life and everything to do with sorting out YOU!

Start by asking yourself these rather ‘pithy’ questions:

• Are you happy?
• Are you fulfilled?
• Are you pursuing your dreams?
• Do you have a dream?
• Do you believe in yourself?
• Do you live consciously?
• Do you exist with confidence?
• Does your life-work make your soul sing?

If you feel wishy-washy when it comes to saying ‘yes’, you may well have an open door policy to burnout.

Burnout proofing your life can mean the difference between success and…you know.

Most importantly it is very very doable and very very necessary if you don’t want to end up exhausted.  Burnout leaves you feeling like you are drowning under the sheer volume of obligations, responsibilities, choices, decisions, problems, worries, fears for the future, and even all the fun and entertaining stuff you try to cram in.  (Oh come on admit it, sometimes you make social plans and then end up moaning that you don’t have time or are just plain old too tired to be social).

Now just cause burnout proofing your life sounds so darn practical or, dare we say, dull (Never! The Burnout Queens don’t do dull!) it doesn’t mean it is.  In fact, we think it’s just the opposite: it’s creative, inspiring, fun, fulfilling, satisfying, and expanding.

It starts with a commitment deep within your soul.  How you live simply starts making sense.  You don’t have to ‘find balance’ your life naturally develops a rhythm, a harmony, an equilibrium.  You don’t have to worry about ‘finding your meaning and purpose’ (we heard that sigh of relief) your life will BE your purpose in small ways, big ways, inside and out.

So, that’s what I’m committing to for the rest of this year, being willing to defy ordinary and live another burnout free year.  That and having a bunch of adventures along the way.  Are you ready to come along?

Start living the life you have imagined.  One commitment is all it takes.

I’m going to say this right up front, I am a huge fan of decisions.  I am a believer.

I unreservedly believe that
One Decision can change your life.

Now I do have to say there are decisions and there are decisions.  Everyday all of us make our way through a gazillion decisions from the moment we open our eyes until we close them to go to sleep.  I tend to think of these as mini-decisions.  Mini-decisions that keep life ticking along and most of them we make without even a second thought.  However, these ordinary, everyday decisions are not the decisions I want to talk about.

When I talk about decisions that are life changing I’m talking maxi-decisions.  They may not look extra-special on first examination, they may in fact appear simple and ordinary.  They don’t really have much panache, like deciding to climb Everest or take a hot air balloon around the world, and they are rarely, in my experience, announced by a drum roll.  However, in their quiet simplicity they make your life turn a different corner, redirect or change your life so that it is never quite the same again.  At the time you make that One Decision you may not even realise that is what’s happening.

Let me tell you a story about a woman I know who has made many One Decisions throughout her life.  Some saved her life and all definitely changed the direction of her life forever.

She was close to thirty, successful at what she did, but totally disillusioned with life and bored out of her mind.  Even worse, her life was making her sick; physically, emotionally, and spiritually sick.  Then she made a radical decision to quit work and go to university.  There were many nea-sayers (aren’t there always!) telling her that she had a good job for a woman (true) and reminding her that she had never finished school in the first place (also true) so how was she going to be successful now.  Not one to be deterred she requested an appointment with the Faculty Dean.

When the day came and she raced to the university and breathless and quaking in her pumps was shown into a very large, sombre office only to be met by an equally large, stern looking woman who asked one question, “How can I help you?”  She summoned her courage and answered, “I want my PhD.”  The Dean stared at her with the same intensity that she saw when she stared at herself in the mirror, then simply said, “Here’s what you have to do.”  With that one statement she mapped out the next 15 years of my life.  She believed, like I now do, that One Decision is sometimes all it takes to redirect your life.  If I made that sound overly simple, it was.

That’s the first thing about making One Decision (I always think of it as capitalized) when the time is right it can be decidedly simple and clear.

I have also discovered over the many One Decisions I have made that everyone around me focused on the hoards of mini-decisions that inevitably follow a maxi-decision.  All I heard was a cacophony of “How are you going to do this and what about that?”  I didn’t know at the time and that was a good thing because if I had known and focused on all the small stuff (and yes indeed some large stuff) that I would need to work my way through to achieve three degrees over 15 years I would have never started.  Luckily (and surprisingly!) I didn’t over-think it, I made that One Decision and then gained courage, confidence, and knowledge with every subsequent step.

That’s the second thing about making One Decision, you won’t know what is going to follow and there is no way you can.

Now, just in case you still aren’t sure of what counts as a maxi-decision here are a few examples from the brilliant women Dr. B and I work with along with a few other epic life-turning One Decisions from our lives.

One Decision to…

• Get out of debt.
• Adopt a child on your own
• Live, yes literally live.
• Retire
• Totally change careers.
• Return to school.
• Leave a relationship.
• Get married.
• Move to a different country.
• Give up city life for the country.
• Exclude someone from your life.
• Do what you want.
• Not have children.
• Stop starving, drinking, or harming oneself.

One Decision, one moment in time when you say,
“I am going to…..”

Everybody’s One Decision looks different but they all have one thing in common – when you make your One Decision your life will never be the same.

Is there One Decision that is calling out to be made in your life right now?   

How do you know?  Well, if there is, your gut is probably kicking in about now with what feels like uneasiness, or anxiety or maybe, just maybe, a flicker of excitement.  You may be burning out, feeling stuck, unhappy or  disillusioned with your life.  Your intuition has probably been whispering to you, or yelling at you if you refuse to pay attention.

Here’s the third thing about such a decision…you know.

When I’m wrapping up an article I always ask myself if I’ve actually expressed what I really truly wanted to.  Usually the answer is a straight forward ‘yes’ (hit send) or ‘no’ (sigh and hit delete).  So, just to make sure I’m going to say it again.

One Decision is sometimes all it takes.

True that One Decision may feel like a dive off the high-board and, you know what, it probably is.  You can and you will work out the details as you go along.  You can and you will sweat it because you care.  However, do not overlook, doubt, or forget that you are smart, creative, strong, insightful, powerful, intelligent and you are worth it.

You deserve to live a life that raises you up and sometimes that requires One Decision.

Go ahead, right now, be more courageous than you ever thought you could.  Defy ordinary and write down your One Decision.  There you go, it’s in the wind.  Now it’s time for you to believe.