“It is in the Doing that your Being Becomes.”

I love this quote. This little ditty comes from none other than Deborah Tutnauer, an Entrepreneur Business Coach I know who lives in Colorado. In one elegant and brilliantly constructed sentence she has packaged all you need to know if you happen to find yourself in need of change.

Deborah tells the story that she had made a commitment to become a Sponsor at an upcoming live event for entrepreneurs in San Diego. She realized much had to be done. Certain products had to be created and other benchmarks had to be hit prior to the event.

Many things she had been working on slowly over time were pulled together and finished as she prepared for the event. Products she had wanted to produce were now all brought to completion in the process. She found, “It is in the doing that your being becomes.”

So many applications are possible for this one sentence, even for individuals suffering from burnout. It struck me that if you are burning out, or burned out utterly and miserable, but in no hurry to change then your being has become exactly what you are doing.

In other words, you are likely to stay on the same path with the same results if you continue the same behaviors, whether the outcome is perceived to be good or bad. But, if you desire real change for a better outcome then you must begin “doing” differently.

If it makes sense you are what you think, and you are what you eat, then it also stands to reason you are what you do. In order to be different one must act differently.

The first step in relieving the symptoms of burnout is to recognize them for what they represent. Many people who are burning out or burned out may not always realize the precise cause.

Oh, they know they are suffering but the symptoms are often ascribed to something else such as stress, depression, relationship problems, money problems, bad bosses or some other entity. While some or all of these may be present in association, they are not the causes of burnout.

The hallmarks of burnout are emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and a lack of a sense of personal accomplishment. Once recognized, steps can be taken to ameliorate the effects and eliminate the causes of burnout. More information on the signs, symptoms, causes and prevention of burnout can be found here.

Once the causes of burnout are identified, measures can be taken to change the individuals approach to work and their work environment through needed and necessary change. It is in the changing or “doing that their being becomes” whole again.

Burned out individuals can reignite with passion and purpose and return joy and pleasure to the everyday practice of their chosen profession. That is for most, but not for all. Some will need to change careers completely in order to alleviate their burnout.  More information on the treatment of burnout can be found here.

Dealing with burnout is never easy. It requires a plan, intention and a willingness to change. Without change, there is no escape from the ravages of burnout. For “it is in the doing that your being becomes.”

Are you burning out or burned out? If so, what are you doing, or what have you tried, to address your unique set of circumstances?