Clint Murphy  00:10

Have you ever hit the wall? I know I’ve done it a lot. In fact, I’m in that spot right now, which is why I’m really excited that a day after recording this conversation with you. I’m going on a three week vacation, gonna spend two amazing weeks relaxing with my wife, family and friends, and then I’m going on a retreat with a number of guys that I haven’t met yet, that I’m gonna get to know in Colorado. And it’s gonna be very relaxing, and it’s going to allow me to recharge my batteries.  But we’re gonna talk about that today we’re going to dive into a topic you face when you’re trying to excel across various areas in your life. Hitting the wall happens. When you try to operate at a high level across a number of areas. The odds are you’ll hit the wall.  They weren’t wrong. Shortly after that, I hit the wall. Fortunately, when you’ve hit the wall before, you learn how to bounce back. But as you get older, it takes longer and longer to bounce back, and sometimes you’ll feel like you won’t bounce back at all.  An image that makes me laugh while exhausted is a picture my friends Peter and Rob painted for me a few years ago. They told me, I reminded them of a train barreling down a track with a single minded purpose, but the train didn’t realize it was headed directly for a heavily reinforced brick wall. And as you can guess, that doesn’t end well.  So let’s talk about that. Let’s talk about how to bounce back from hitting the wall. And as part of that, you’ll also start to realize, how do I avoid hitting the wall in the first place?  When you’re young, a bounce back can be as simple as a day off, a weekend of rest, taking a one week vacation, taking it easy for one to two weeks. As I just said, I’m going on a three week vacation, pure rest and recharge. But as you get older, the more it takes to bounce back.  Before you can be proactive, to be aware. That’s where awareness comes in. It’s the first step for any problem. You need to be aware that there’s a problem before you can address a problem.  When you feel yourself running full out and the gas tank is starting to empty, be aware of it. When you’re aware, you can take steps to change it, and here’s how, first thing, stop, stop, take a step back. Understand the driver of your burnout. What are you doing that’s causing you to hit the wall? Take a break. And you’ll often realize you don’t need to be going out as hard as you are. Take a few deep breaths, slow down and think about the three Ds. When you start to examine what’s contributing to your pain, you can start to prioritize what matters, what needs to get done. And then you can apply the three Ds, defer, delete, delegate. Defer, delete delegate.  When it comes to delegation, try not to delegate to yourself. I want you to defer and delete as much as you can and focus on the priorities that will move you forward in life.  Set boundaries. No, seriously, you’re hitting the wall because you didn’t set appropriate boundaries. One of the first things you need to do when you’re hitting the wall is to set boundaries with your family, friends and colleagues.  When you go through the three Ds and start to prioritize, you need to shut down anything that doesn’t commit to your priorities.  As part of that, learn to say no. Boundaries are one thing. Learning to say no is another. The realization that no without an explanation is a perfectly acceptable answer is a game changer in life. If there’s something that isn’t aligned with your priorities and you know it will contribute to burnout, the answer I want you to give is No, and I don’t want you to worry about saying it. Self care techniques. Recovering from burnout can be tough, and hopefully you catch it before you get there, but if you don’t, here are six simple steps to help you bounce back.  Hobbies, reconnect with activities you enjoy.  Rest, get plenty of sleep. Your body and your mind need it.  Exercise, get moving. Even a short walk can boost your mood and energy.  Mindfulness. Try meditation or yoga. It can help you stay present and reduce your stress.  Unplug, take a break from screens, including smartphones and computers. It’ll help clear your mind.  I’ve already said it part way through this conversation, breathe. Practice deep breathing exercises. Inhale slowly, hold it for a few seconds, and then exhale slowly. It’s calming. If you like the podcast, you’ll love our newsletter, the growth guide. Every Thursday, straight to your inbox with the goal to help you be better, achieve more and become financially free. Check it out at our website, The growth.guide. Subscribe and learn more.