Burnout has become a catch-all term to describe anything from being unhappy at work, frustrated with the boss or work environment, overwhelmed with the amount of work or uninspiring tasks.

Too many times I hear “I’m burned out,” or “I will burn out of I do this work / work so hard” from people who are unhappy with their lives and bring their baggage with them to work.  

I am not minimizing true burnout, when work affects our health and wellbeing through constant shift changes and high safety / health risks (i.e. emergency care in healthcare).

However, most people who feel “burned out” are really experiencing “rust-out” at work or need help to managing their personal life so it does not affect their work. 

Rust-out is a fascinating concept, it occurs when people feel underutilized and uninspired in their jobs. They lost their excitement for the job and work becomes a number of monotonous tasks. 

When you study these employees, you will find that they don’t use their full potential, their unique skills and talents.  And they often feel that they cannot contribute to what matters to them and make an impact. 

If you experience lack of inspiration at work, or know someone who does, follow these steps: 

Step 1: Identify your unique skills/talents and what you love to do.  Understand your Why.  Do the inward journey.

Step 2: After completing Step 1, you will understand yourself better.  Then create opportunities to apply your unique skills/ talents and what you are passionate about.  

There are many ways you can do this:

• Create opportunities to apply your unique abilities at work, i.e. take on a project or join an improvement team focused on what you are passionate about.
• Tweak your work so you can do more of what you are good at and love to do.
• Discuss with your upline.  Your boss will want you to be inspired and contribute to the success of the company.
• Connect with like-minded people and explore how you could contribute to the community or projects outside of work.

If your work is not what you love to do and you cannot use your talents, make a plan to change it.  And before you explore new opportunities, do the inward journey – what do you really want to do? What are you good at and what matters to you? 

Contact me if you are interested in exploring your unique skills & talents, identifying what you love to do and discovering your why.