Burned out?

RT @teewy5 Focus on your purpose. Remember why you do what you do. We don't get burned out from what we do, we get burned out when we forget why we do it.

With the new school year comes new beginnings, full of excitement, expectation and opportunity, much like a brand new doodle-free notebook just waiting to be filled with notes of knowledge to expand our minds.

So what’s this about being burned out?

The academic year has cycles. It’s not unusual for students to struggle in late November, February and in April with stress, with feeling burnt out. Those are the times when academic projects are typically due and finals or mid-terms are looming. Throw on top of that preparations for Christmas, spring break and graduation. Too much to do and too little time.

Which leads to burn out.

For those of us in the working world, burn out doesn’t come in such a predictable timetable. Sometimes it feels as if we’re Bill Murray in “Groundhog Day”; the alarm goes off, we go through the same morning routine, drive to the same place, talk to the same people, do the same things, eat the same foods, go to bed at the same time only for the alarm to ring so you can do it all over again.

That’s where @teewy5’s (aka Tyler Neal ‘13) tweet comes in. Why do we do the things we do? Why is it important to finish that chem lab/history research/business report/English paper? I propose that its importance lies not in the grade, but because it’s a step toward the ultimate goal of becoming a chemist, historian, entrepreneur, published author…

So, students, as you make your way to that first class of 2014-15 with your brand new doodle-free notebook, keep your eye on the prize and remember why you are doing this.

And add a few doodles along the way – Carpe Diem.