Posted in Blog, Career Inspiration, Inspirational Moments, Leadership Inspiration

Sweet Home Carolina – The Story of a Woman Who Had Burnout and Then Found Joy!

This month’s topic theme is going to be about burnout. Has it ever happened to you? It is not fun, but it is becoming more common for people in management positions and high demanding careers.

I came across this movie, “Sweet Home Carolina,” on Tubi. It starts with Diane sitting in her office, not answering her office phone, and hyperventilating into a brown bag.

Burnout is what happens when the soul whispering against an unhealthy job or relationship. – Dr. Dina Glouberman

Diane is an Advertising Executive, and her personal life is a mess. She works long hours and has a habit of picking up her youngest child late from school. Her oldest teenage daughter is angry with her over the divorce of her parents and blames Diane. Diane is receiving collection notices in the mail. She is a train wreck ready to happen. Family dinners consist of frozen lasagna and Diane drinking a few glasses of wine before going to bed.

Don’t get so busy making a living, that you forget to make a life. – Dolly Parton

When Diane thought her life couldn’t get any worst. Her boss called her into his office and gave away her biggest client to a coworker. Then told her she needed to take some time off (permanently). A life preserver happened; her Aunt, who recently passed away, left her a house in a small town in South Carolina. The stipulations were taking care of her Aunt’s dog and living in the house for a year. She subleased her home in Los Angeles, and she and her daughters moved.

Don’t accept burnout as the price or definition of success. – Jon Acuff

The demanding career, the big house, and a fancy car is not everything. What makes true happiness? In Diane’s case, she realized that most important to her was a loving, respectful relationship with her daughters, a good man who loved her deeply, and a small town of caring people.

Sometimes we choose a career because of the large paycheck and later realize the job has cost us more than we bargained. No social life, no friends, damaged love life, estranged family, health problems, a lack of purpose, and what happened to my enthusiasm and happiness?

Think about your life. Is this the way I want my story to end?  

To learn more about A Balanced Life; click on the link to find out about the  21- Days Optimal Work/Life Balance Workshop.

To schedule “one on one coaching” with Patti – click on the “Schedule Now” button below:

Online scheduling

Does my work bring value to you and others?

If you enjoyed this blog post, how about sharing a cup of coffee with me. 🦋

Posted in Blog, Business Inspiration, Career Inspiration, Leadership Inspiration, Personal Inspiration

Why are You Killing Yourself for a Job that will Replace You in a Week?

“Why are you killing yourself for a job that will replace you in a week if you died?  Take care of yourself!” ~ Unknown

Lately, I have been seeing more and more people posting this quote on social media and as a work-life balance leadership coach; I should probably address my thoughts on this quote.

Throughout my work life journeys and coaching experiences, I have come to the realization that maybe this quote may absolutely be true.  However, my goal is to change this through my coaching.

It is important to work hard and be a diligent loyal employee but thinking about work 24/7 is not good for you mentally or physically.  Everyone needs to take vacations and get away to rest and relax.

Why are employees feeling this way? 

From what I hear, people are working themselves into overwhelm and burn-out.  Some employees care way too much about their jobs to the point of making themselves physically sick.  While others do the bare minimum not to get fired and appear to be the happiest.

Why is that?

I hear this scenario repeatedly that the people who do the least amount of work get promoted while the dedicated doers get passed over time and time again. The Doers are conscientious about their job duties day in and day out, work late, and get the job done with little to no praise or acknowledgment and are slowly killing themselves in the process. They have high anxiety, stress, diabetes, heart disease, no work-life balance strategies, no work boundaries, and so on. While the lazy worker is smiling, laughing, playing on their cell phone all day, and content with collecting their paycheck, while everyone else is covering their job, stressed-out and resentful.

Why do leaders let this happen?

Leaders need to spend time with their employees and know them instead of locking themselves in their offices. Don’t they want to know what is going on? Someone once told me, because the Leader doesn’t care. Reviewing staff’s workload and time management is vital to assist with eliminating overload and overwhelm. Coaching the lazy worker to do their share of the workload is essential for the supervisor. The Doers need to feel comfortable to honestly state to their manager they are overwhelmed and need assistance and the ability to say no to more tasks when they have too much to handle.

Why doesn’t the Leader care?  

When loyal, hard-working employees leave by either transferring to another department for the same or less salary or go to the competition or just leave as a Leader, you should be asking this question! Why are they leaving? 

Losing good employees hurts the business and the bottom line. Yes, they may make a high salary, but the cost of training new staff and their expertise is now gone, and this alone is very detrimental to a company.

A good leader finds out what is going on within their company. They don’t just sit in their office with the door closed; they ask questions and want the truth, not lip service. They know who is doing the work and who isn’t. They care about the staff and want them to succeed. When hiring internally, the excellent leader recognizes the right person to promote since they know their quality of work, interpersonal skills, and the right fit for the job.  

What are some solutions to change this concept?

  • Find the strengths of the complacent worker and give them those projects.
  • Coach the complacent employee on doing their work tasks and pulling their share of the workload.
  • Meet with them daily on their progress for 10 to 15 minutes, getting updates on where they are with their work assignments.
  • Have them set up daily goals on their work tasks and review their progress.

Is this concept a forgotten principle?

Would love to see your thoughts, comments and your experiences on this subject. ~ Patti

Comments are always welcome and please share this post with your colleagues, friends, and family on your social networks! Sharing is caring.

For more information about Becoming a Better Leader [e-Book] Click here to download your copy.

How about creating Harmony in Your Life; click on the link  21- Days Optimal Work/Life Balance Workshop.

Want “one to one coaching” with Patti – email me patti@coachingforinspirationwithpatti.com

Posted in Blog, Personal Inspiration, Polls

“What are the best times, days and topics for Coffee, Coaching and More Workshops?”

Coaching for Inspiration with Patti Coffee Cups

What is Coffee, Coaching & More with Patti?

These workshops are for the busy person who knows their dreams really matter.  Coffee, Coaching and More Sessions bring you together with others in a fun, friendly and supportive environment with a different confidence-boosting topic each month.

Spend two hours focusing on you with no distractions, no pressure, and no judgement on different life topics.

Together we will look at situations which may be holding you back, limiting beliefs, procrastination, lack of time, low self-confidence, feeling overwhelmed and how to overcome these and live the life you really want.

The polls below are to inspire the perfect days, times and topics for great participation in future workshops.

What days and times would work best for you?

Which topics would you be interested in attending?