leadership – Perfectly Imperfect

full speed ahead 24/7/365 causes crashes

i know because

i’ve been on the floor

more than once

i’ve lost my sh*t

so many times i stopped counting

i’ve cried hysterically

after screaming at the top of my lungs

when something didn’t go my way

or plans changed

i’ve been so tense my muscles

forgot how to relax

i’ve clawed at my skin

to hold down the rage

but you didn’t know

i wouldn’t let you know

on the outside

i was successful

i was achieving

i was helpful & reliable

i looked the part

i was nice

i was friendly

i was pretty & polished

on the inside

i was raging

i was short-circuiting

i was melting down

i was burning out

>> many successful women are burning out <<

it’s a badge of honor to be busy & exhausted

we brag about our lack of sleep and long hours

like they give out awards for suffering

we drink a bottle of wine a night

every night

gotta numb out

so we can function

we take pills

to stop our tears

to block our emotions

we don’t have time to open that flood gate

if we did

we doubt

it would ever close

we’ve been locked up

so long

silent

for years

our hard work is our salvation

really our protection

disguised as our perfection

keeping us from slowing down long enough

to look at the reality of our lives

burnout doesn’t happen overnight

it’s a slow burning fuse

>> there are warnings <<

the problem is, most of us ignore them because they are so accepted and expected that we don’t recognize them for the red flags they are

we push harder

motivating ourselves with self-abuse

it’s called being an adult

we say

pull it together

put your big girl panties on

just do it

what’s wrong with you

we ask

so-and-so has it worse than you

you’re so lazy

and then we justify

it’s not that bad

everyone i know is fried

i’m too busy

i don’t have time

today is the ONLY day to get things done

look at our to-do list

he needs me

they need me

she needs me

it’s fine

i’m fine

i’m fine

bullshit

first, you’re not fine

second, fine is not a feeling

let’s stop pretending

let’s look at what is REAL

ignoring what is doesn’t make it not

if you’re curious about what you might be missing, click here and grab The 31 Most Commonly Missed Signs of Burnout for Women

it’s time we reclaim our power 🔥

xoxo