Burnout isn't the problem, Disconnect is

What happens when we lose connection to purpose?

A strange thing happened to me last week.

I was sitting in a meeting — on paper, a “good” meeting — and yet I had this sinking thought: Why am I here?

Not in a dramatic, quit-my-job way.

More like… I couldn’t feel the thread.

The link between what I was doing and why it really mattered. And when that link disappears, something else creeps in: stress without a clear source. It felt like burnout. I got a vague sense that things were going wrong. A kind of low-grade alarm was going off in my body.

And it made me realize something simple:

Sometimes what I think of as “burnout” isn’t overload.It’s disconnection.

Disconnection from my purpose. From meaning. From the feeling that I’m contributing—not just consuming. From the deeper reason of why I work with leaders who are building, creating, and inspiring others.

There are two things that keep me alive and moving — almost like a warrior mindset:

Purpose and “uncomfort.”Not discomfort (pain).

But uncomfort: the absence of too much comfort.

The stretch. The edge.

The place where I stay awake to all that is happening in my life.

Here’s what I’ve noticed in myself (and in so many other people):When purpose gets blurry, I start reaching for comfort.When comfort becomes the goal, my purpose slowly fades.

And yet life has a way of calling us back. Nature will always support our growth and expansion.

More on this later...

warmly, Rick §;-)