Exhausted? Overwhelmed? Overworked?

Today’s velocity of life can consume and control you.  But when physical fatigue and long-term frustration graduate into a sense of hopelessness, you know you're suffering from burnout.  What if your life could be different? What if you could be certain you were living the life you were intended to live?

Six Steps to a Cure⤒🔗

The antidote for burnout among CEOs and business leaders includes six key steps to be taken in doses appropriate to your needs. Though these remedies require an investment of your precious and limited time, it is of a vital importance for you, your health, and those you serve at work and at home.

Retreat: The first step in overcoming burnout is to step back in order to gain perspective. One of the symptoms of burnout is to be so close to the forest you are unable to see the trees.  Take a little time to get away from the press of daily life and get quiet before the Lord. By simply getting some physical rest and turning off the noise for a while, we can intensify our communication with God. Start the day with a time of prayer, Bible study and quiet meditation.  If you don't normally have a quiet time, begin the practice.  Go to the beach, park, or anywhere you find peace and serenity. Break your routine completely. Empty your mind of pressing issues. You're where you are due to the ways you've thought and the ways you've reacted to your own thoughts. If that place isn't where (or what) you want, something must change. You're the only one who can initiate the changes that must happen to alter your results. The first step in healing is to get to a place where you can be healed. This may require as little as a day, or take place over a month or two, but overcoming burnout begins by removing yourself from your routine long enough to gain fresh perspective on life's realities.

Refocus:  Begin your refocus by deliberately writing out who you really are in Christ. Research what the Bible says about it. Think about this truth, "We're not human beings who happen to temporarily have spiritual experiences; we are eternal spirit beings who are temporarily having a human experience." For those reborn in Christ, this simple and profound truth underlies the only valid paradigm of life. Until we can truly grasp its significance, we'll struggle to maintain our perspective in the face of the worldly distractions. After you feel that you have a good grasp of what's most important, prioritize    the list. In other words, "put first things first." Ask yourself, "If I could only be sure of accomplishing or becoming one of these things, which would it be?" After you work your way through the first one, check it off the list, put it on a fresh prioritized list on a separate piece of paper, and repeat the process with the other items.  Develop a plan to be diligent in giving each priority the 'decent minimum' it requires. There's true freedom in this process.

Refresh: Count your blessings! Take a sheet of paper and draw a line down the middle. Starting in the left-hand column, make a numbered list of everything you can think of that has value to you and for which you're thankful to God. Be honest. This isn't a paper that will be graded by anyone else, it's just a list of things that you're really thankful for that you either currently have, or have had, in your life. Take your time and enjoy remembering why each item is special to you and how it relates to God's presence in, and provision for, your life. List as many things as you can. Next, on the right-hand side, list all of the things you need to be happy or fulfilled. What do you really need? When you've finished, compare the lists. Every single item in the column is a gift of God's grace. Even the 'needs' we've listed in the right-hand column are suspect.

Rely: Finding answers to difficult business situations requires tapping into the collective experience of your peers and other industry experts.  Sometimes the burden of being a leader of an organization and dealing with the many frustrating situations and difficult people can be overwhelming and you have no one else to turn to.  That's why it is immensely beneficial to meet with a group of other like-minded Christian business leaders who are running businesses and regularly share their experiences, advice, counsel, and support with you.  Do research on business peer groups in your area that provide the wisdom, non-competitive business interaction like the C12 Group. Find a peer group you can meet with regularly and can safely bring your confidential issues to the group and receive wise counsel. Instead of feeling alone, you gain friends and build business relationships with people who are  dedicated to making you more successful at integrating your role as a Christian business leader into your primary role as a Christian.  Many Christian CEOs, Presidents and owners rely on the C12 Group's peer advisory board for lessons learned and advice that lead to avoiding mistakes, being proactive and engaging better systems.

Reach Out:  Running a business can be stressful, time consuming and even confusing at times. To regain the energy, keep you on course and successfully deal with tough issues in the workplace sometimes requires a coach or mentor who can provide CEOs and business owners the guidance, support, accountability and encouragement that is lacking. C12 Members benefit from their local Chair who helps facilitate spiritual growth, life balance, and leadership. Having a trusted advisor to provide balanced, objective, Biblical feedback and counsel on the issues shaping your company's culture, operations, systems and teams can provide immense benefit as well as long-term positive results.

Restart: Get up, dust yourself off, and go back at it. By this point, you'll have rested and regained both your sense of eternal significance and the importance of what God has asked you to do. Recommit your way to the Lord. If necessary, confess any sins of doubt, discouragement, disobedience, or temporary loss of direction. Receive His forgiveness and rejoin the battle! Start a file and keep your notes. Even if you spent just a single day in this 6-step process, keep a record of who you are in Christ, what blessings you have, and what your priorities are in Him. In the busyness of life and work, we need to be continually reminded of who God is, who we are, and of our purpose. We need to be refreshed by the memories of the things He has already done for us so we are strengthened to do what He asks of us, both now and in the future.