Forty years before Antonio Banderas and Sir Anthony Hopkins teamed up in 1998’s “The Mask of Zorro”, Guy Williams portrayed the masked swordsman in a television series. I wasn’t alive then, but when I was spending summers with my grandmother, reruns were the gift that kept on giving.
In modern movies, suspense builds as the camera flashes from the ongoing action back to the digital timer on the bomb ticking toward zero. The television show was set in 1820’s California, and there was no electronically enhanced suspense.
The villain would secure the hostages, set up a powder keg, and then light the end of a long fuse. The fuse racing along its path towards its explosive end, while Zorro found himself entangled in battle. With moments to spare, the camera would cut to the shining sword of the masked man slicing elegantly through the fuse which, in turn, ended its intense journey with a burnout.
So many articles about burnout exist. I assume none of the others start with Zorro. They give you excellent advice about setting boundaries and practicing self-care. They suggest you take breaks, seek support, and invest in your free time. These are all great ideas, even when you aren’t feeling burnt out.
But computers don’t burn out. They haven’t felt it. I have.
I can tell you that I’ve worked 70-hour weeks where I was completely invested and energized. I can also tell you I’ve spent months in other roles not wanting to get out of bed, barely putting in my 40 hours, and still dreading the next shift. I don’t have a top five list for mitigating burnout. I have one item to share with you: Burnout is caused when you lose your connection to purpose.
Like a fuse racing along its path, you do the work. You march on toward the eventual explosion of good things that the journey promised. And then somehow, the connection is severed, and you fizzle out. There is nothing self-care, support, or reorganization of boundaries can overcome when feeling the helplessness of not knowing what you’re doing or why you’re doing it.
Alliance Physical Therapy Partners is committed to improving the therapeutic partnership between patients and clinicians. They are committed to proving value in the delivery of physical therapy. These goals are simple, concrete, real, and meaningful. I can connect to them, and they’re refreshing. Working without a purpose is exhausting, and burnout is inevitable. Connecting the work you do to a purpose that you believe in is the one factor that can overcome burning out.
Please take all the other suggestions to heart. Take care of yourself, talk with coworkers, and get enough sleep. Those are excellent ideas regardless of the risk of burnout. Please, honestly explore why you are doing what you’re doing and see if it connects with your purpose. If it does not, then explore how it can. Do what you want to be doing along with what you must do. Connect that flame with the powder keg of your potential and let that spark of your work fulfill its role and have maximum impact on your work life.