“What’s wrong with me?”
That’s what I kept asking myself.
I used to be sharp. Focused. Hungry. The guy who got things done.
But then, something changed.
Tasks that were once easy started feeling impossible. Even simple emails drained me.
I would sit at my desk, staring at the screen, knowing exactly what I needed to do… but doing nothing.
And the worst part? I knew people were watching.
“He’s not working as hard as before.”
“He’s slipping.”
“Maybe he’s just gotten lazy.”
So I told myself to push harder.
Because that’s the solution, right?
If you’re struggling, work harder.
If you’re unmotivated, force yourself through.
So I did.
And that’s when everything completely fell apart.
The Breaking Point
One day, I woke up after a full eight hours of sleep—and felt like I had been hit by a truck.
Exhausted before I even started the day.
I drank more coffee. Didn’t help.
I tried to motivate myself. Didn’t work.
I pushed through the day, but my mind was slow, foggy—like I was wading through wet cement.
By the evening, I sat alone, staring at my to-do list, unable to check off a single thing.
And for the first time, I asked myself,
“What if this isn’t just laziness?”
Burnout vs. Laziness—The Lie We Believe
For years, we’ve been fed this toxic idea:
“If you’re struggling, you’re just not working hard enough.”
But let’s break that down.
Laziness is not wanting to work.
Burnout is wanting to work—but feeling like your mind and body have shut down.
Laziness goes away when there’s a strong enough reason to act.
Burnout stays—no matter how much motivation you try to force.
The problem? We mistake burnout for laziness.
And when we do that, we make the worst possible decision:
We push harder.
How Do You Know If You’re Burnt Out?
Let me ask you a few questions.
- Have you ever slept a full eight hours, but still woken up exhausted?
- Have you ever stared at a simple task—something you’ve done a hundred times—but for some reason, you just couldn’t start?
- Have you ever felt numb—not just tired, but emotionally disconnected from your work, your goals, even the things you used to love?
That’s not laziness.
That’s burnout.
The Dangerous Advice That Makes It Worse
Here’s what society tells you to do when you feel this way:
“Push through. Hustle harder. No excuses.”
But that advice? It’s like trying to put out a fire by throwing gasoline on it.
The harder you push, the deeper you sink.
Burnout doesn’t get better with more effort.
It gets worse—until your body and mind force you to stop.
I learned this the hard way.
The Cost of Ignoring Burnout
When I ignored burnout, here’s what happened:
- My work suffered. No matter how many hours I worked, I wasn’t productive.
- My confidence dropped. Simple mistakes made me feel incompetent.
- My relationships took a hit. I was too drained to be present with the people I cared about.
And when I finally couldn’t keep up anymore, do you know what happened?
The same people who praised me for working hard… moved on.
Because at the end of the day, no one hands out medals for burning yourself out.
So What Do You Do Instead?
Here’s what I wish I had done sooner:
Step 1: Stop blaming yourself.
Burnout is not a personal failure. It’s not about motivation or discipline—it’s about mental and physical exhaustion.
Step 2: Recognize burnout before it breaks you.
Pay attention to the signs: the exhaustion, the procrastination, the emotional numbness. Don’t wait until you’re completely drained.
Step 3: Recover—intentionally.
Not just by taking a weekend off and pretending that fixes everything.
But by redesigning how you work, setting real boundaries, and learning to manage energy—not just time.
The Truth About Burnout
Burnout isn’t a sign that you’re weak.
It’s a sign that something needs to change.
And if you don’t change it?
Your body will do it for you.
Trust me, you don’t want to learn this lesson the hard way.
Your Next Move
If any of this hit home for you, here’s what I want you to do:
1️⃣ Stop telling yourself you’re lazy. You’re not.
2️⃣ Start paying attention to the real signs of burnout.
3️⃣ Have the courage to change how you work before burnout forces you to.
And if you need a real plan to recover?
Join me in the Energy Mastery Workshop, where I’ll walk you through exactly how to rebuild your energy before it’s too late.
Because you don’t win by working yourself to the ground.
You win by learning how to sustain success—without burning out.
