ESCAPE BURNOUT: Shift #6 Define Your Purpose
Here’s the truth no one likes to say out loud: work won’t love you back. 🫣
You’ve got to find a sense of purpose from your life, not just your job. Because your identity transcends your title. And that’s the shift you need to Escape Burnout and Reclaim Your life.
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When Self-Care Isn’t Enough
I talk with leaders who are doing the “right” things—sleep a little more, add a meditation app, sprinkle in a yoga class, turn off notifications—and they still wake up flat, anxious, or numb.
Self-care helps you recover energy, but purpose is what creates it in the first place. When your purpose is missing, the tank refills slowly, if at all, and the same old stress burns it off by lunch.
Research keeps pointing to this fact: a stronger sense of purpose is associated with less stress and better mental well-being, and even resilience after hard events.
You and I both know the workplace has changed. Many of the pressures you feel aren’t personal failings; they’re features of how work is structured right now. That’s why “try harder to relax” isn’t solving burnout at scale, and why purpose—yours, not the slogan on the lobby wall—matters so much.
The problem isn’t rest. The problem is purpose.
Harold’s Turning Point to Live With Purpose
Let me bring this down from the clouds to a life you might recognize. Harold—our high-achieving, always-on executive—didn’t realize he was in overdrive until the engine began to rattle. No priorities. No boundaries. No real focus. And, if he was honest, no purpose.
He was admired for his output and slowly emptied by it, a runaway train that made impressive noise and covered lots of track but was heading nowhere he actually wanted to go.
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The moment that stopped him in his tracks wasn’t dramatic. He walked past a closet, saw an old canvas pad wedged behind a suitcase, and felt a tug he hadn’t let himself feel in years.
Harold used to paint. Color, texture, the quiet of a Saturday afternoon—he loved it. He stood there for a second, hand on the doorknob, and realized he couldn’t remember the last time he’d cleaned a brush or smelled linseed oil. That tiny grief was the nudge.
3 Simple Actions to Define Your Purpose
Here is what Harold did to define his purpose, and you can do them too:
1. He Rediscovered What Made Him Come Alive: Harold pulled out his brushes and dusted off his canvas pad. Somehow, a brush and a canvas were more energizing than three double espressos and a motivational podcast.
For you, it might be gardening, cooking, writing, woodworking — whatever brings you joy beyond your job.
2. He Shared His Paintings: Harold began showing his artwork to friends and family. Not for applause, but for connection. It reminded him that creativity wasn’t just for him — it could brighten someone else’s world too.
3. He Scheduled Purpose For His Passion: No more “someday.” Harold blocked time on his calendar just for painting. Those quiet hours gave him breathing room and a reminder that his purpose was far bigger than his inbox.
These three simple actions didn’t immediately rescue Harold from burnout - but they did put him back on a pathway toward purpose.
Why This Matters for You
So, let me ask you: Do you need to redefine your purpose?
I’m not saying painting is your thing. Maybe it’s bike riding, a guitar you haven’t tuned in years, mentoring teenagers, faith practices that used to anchor you, or the garden that makes dirt under your nails feel like medicine. For me, its birdwatching, photography and bike riding. The point is not the hobby; the point is the joy you get when you do it.
Your job won’t love you back…
But your purpose will. Start here:
Whatever it is, it’s the thing that reminds you: you are more than your work. Because work won’t love you back.
But purpose?
Purpose will carry you when work drains you dry. Because your work can benefit from you defining your purpose —but your life is the real reason for you to do it.
I’m cheering 📣 for you!
P.S. ➡️ Listen to the Podcast here
Develop The Valuable Leader In You!
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