Burnout | Day 45: 100 Day Challenge: Zero to $10k a Day

Today I am burned out.

I went through a Recode session as usual, but it seemed to emphasize to me that I need a day off.

The last few days have been hectic, exhilarating and exciting; I got a lot done — but they have been exhausting as well.

I need a break.

And today my mind and body just kind of shut down — no energy, no inspiration, no motivation.

And that’s okay.

So I read.

And I read through a summary of “The Psychology of Money,” plus a handful of select writings, blogs and posts — all in line with my goal — which is uncommon. Usually I’m all over the map on social media watching the next dog video or construction events in China (How Do you build a 7 story building in 7 days? Crazy).

But I also came across this: People — like you and me I guess — are no longer interested in hearing about your struggles or your pain — we see that every day on social media.

People are no longer interested in you being vulnerable or humble.

Most people are not interested in someone like themselves.

We all want more.

We want those we look up to to be more, somehow. Or we won’t look up to them at all.

We want to see strength — because the world around us seems to be falling apart.

We want to see passion, because we see so much fake passion from today’s social media influencers and political leaders.

We want honesty, in people, in our media, in our news media and in our celebrities and stars — or we will stop following them.

We want Real people — not with real pain — but with real solutions.

We don’t want more of the same — we want more.

So we look to those who are strong.

We look to those who are steadfast — not fickle.

We look to those who weather the storms — not to those who complain.

We look for originality — in persona, in their answers and in their passion.

We are tired of what has been, of what is and we want those who stand out — and can lead.

Which causes me some pause.

I didn’t live through it, but I’ve read through the history books — back when teaching in school still happened.

The 1930s.

Isn’t this what happened then?

People were looking for honest answers, solutions to seemingly intractable problems, passion, steadfastness and purpose, people who refused to compromise about who they were or why they were here.

And that led to Hitler, Mussolini, the Japanese warlords and Stalin.

Sure, it also led to Churchill and FDR, but the ideals of passion by selfish greed and ambition can so twist some people that they forget what it is to be human — and then they take the world down with them when they fall.

Is this what we are facing?

A world turned upside down because we are all grasping for answers to questions that few have so far been able to provide?

I guess we will see.

And, this may be the time for certain people to pull their pants up and get off the pot.

The future is ripe for the taking.

Who will grasp the reins of history?

We will see.