Burn Out or Divine Discontent?

Thursday, August 12th, 2010 at 3:43 pm

Recently, I attended a law school graduation for author, novels, (Black Deception and Cloning,) Physician’s Assistant, Monica Regina Satterfield Guilliemen. This is a second career for her, which is quite an accomplishment. As her writing mentor, of course, I’m very proud of her for taking this step, and specializing in Intellectual Properties.
Afterwards, while we were sitting at her luncheon, I heard one of the guests, who said he’d been an insurance broker for 25 years, say that he was burnt out with his job. I started to intercede and tell him that was a good thing to be burnt out. But, I kept my opinion to myself.
It reminded me of my own situation. Whenever I get burnt out, which happens every few years, it’s time to reinvent my life. I’m at that point again.
Therefore, I decided to revisit an article I wrote about 10 years ago, after I made the transition from social worker to literary entrepreneur.
Listen to your spirit when it’s telling you it’s time to go
Burn out or divine discontent? They say that every seven years we change. I believe that spiritually, this is true.
When I look back over my resume, I see that many of my life transitions (from job transfers within the same department, to relocation to a new city) occurred after about a seven-year cycle. I’ve also read that sometimes it takes a while for our psyche to catch up with the new person who we have evolved into over this seven-year period. From this I gleaned another truth. I have never changed without becoming very discontent first.
Obviously, my authentic self will have changed when my outer self remained the same.
When it is time for us to grow, we become restless. I wish I could say that I’m this natural risk-taker, this pathfinder, or trailblazer. But I’m not. I hate change. I’m a creature of habit and a moderate-risk taker. I weigh everything, (try to pay my bills down, wrote 2 novels while working full time, prepared for a career change, etc.)
Now, I’m realizing that to reach your dreams, if you’re a play it safe person, (like me), sometimes you need to get ”burnt-out” to make you change! And you have to take a leap of faith. You can’t know what God has in mind for you and how He will work out all the details of your dream!
To illustrate my point, in 1997, when I left my job, I had no idea that, a year later, I would end up writing an Internet column, On The Same Page. But I’m glad I didn’t have the plan down pat. Spirit has surprised me! My column is in sync with my deep desires. I’m a reader, writer, and lover of words. Why not help other writers, as well as myself, get exposure for our work?
This brought me to this truth. Any major change I’ve made has been preceded by a period of total emotional burn-out. I’m talking true ”fried,” (brain dead).
Fortunately, now, what I used to call ”burn-out,” is simply a case of ”Divine Discontent.” For it is only when we go against the grain of what other’s expect from us, or even become failures in other’s eyesight, that we go through our major milestones! This is because our spirit rebels against doing the things which are no longer in sync with our life’s purpose.
The other realization I had is that when I am content, I stay at the same level.
Looking back, for years I was content as a social worker. It afforded me a living. It allowed me to raise my children in their own homes. It paid my bills. However, I first ventured into this precarious world of freelance writing and publishing, I realized my tenure as a social worker brought me something deeper. It gave me a chance to observe human nature in all of its complexity, which I feel has contributed to my writing. However, to stay in that field, I would not grow to the next level.
For all my major milestones have been my failures. Sad to say, I don’t go through a learning curve when I am doing well. I think Ruby Dee said it best. ”God, make me so uncomfortable that I will do the very thing I fear.”
Recognize and say good-bye when a chapter of your life is over. Embrace burn out.