Burnout.

The word brings with it so many other thoughts.

Step down.

Moral failure.

Why?

One of my favorite things to do is get away in a coffee shop, find a corner table, order a strong, dark roast, and create. I pull up stock photo sites, I browse my fonts, I listen (and re-listen) to our Lead Pastor’s sermon, I look at our upcoming events calendar, I people watch, and I create.

Some people use services that provide social media content.

I use services that provide social media content.

I don’t like using services that provide social media content.

I like dreaming. I like creating. I like pushing boundaries. What do I do in my spare time? I study systems and processes, I play with demo versions of church management software (yes, really), and I create.

Is that what I do for fun? Yes.

Legit? Fun? Yes.

Recently I spent some time with my son at his summer job. He plays guitar at youth camp. At the beach. He’s 20 years old and he gets paid to live at the beach and play guitar 2-3 times a day.

Plus he gets some spending money for groceries.

I need a new job!

While I was with him, he seemed tired. He wakes up 15 minutes before he needs to be ready for the day. He naps whenever possible. On Friday morning, his roommate said they were getting ready to leave their room and they looked at each other and said, “I can’t.“

They did. They did with excellence.

God got them through.

But it struck me…

Even when you’re getting paid for what you’d likely do on a volunteer basis…

You can still experience burnout.

Burnout doesn’t always look like stepping down. Burnout doesn’t always look like a moral failure.

Burnout sometimes looks like getting paid to live at the beach and play your guitar… or sitting in your favorite coffee shop…creating.

Up next: how to recognize burnout and what to do when you’re there.