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The Real Reason You’re Burnt Out (It’s Not What You Think)
124 Plays11 days ago
Episode Summary:
Burnout is a buzzword that shows up every year as busy season approaches—but what if burnout isn’t about doing too much? In this episode, Elena shares a powerful reframe that may change everything for you: burnout isn’t from overworking; it’s from doing too many things that don’t light you up. She’ll walk you through how she structures her business, her schedule, and even her personal life to stay energized, creative, and obsessed with what she’s building. This is your reminder to check your alignment, not your to-do list.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
- Why burnout isn’t about how much you’re doing
- How to audit your schedule for alignment
- What it looks like to build a business that energizes you, not drains you
- Why saying yes to the right things is the key to long-term sustainability
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Transcript
Introduction and Prevalence of Burnout
00:00:02
Speaker
Hey, hey, welcome to Empowered. I am so excited to have you here today for another bite-size episode for you to get the knowledge that you need to get that photography business off the ground and running into a place of high profitability and a high place of meaning.
00:00:21
Speaker
So today I want to talk about burnout for a moment. I feel like burnout is something that is talked about in every industry, is experienced in every industry, but definitely the word gets thrown around a lot in photography groups, especially as the busy season is approaching.
Redefining Burnout
00:00:39
Speaker
So what I want you to think to know and think about is I want you to think about burnout a little differently. Burnout actually isn't a result of doing too much. Nope.
00:00:49
Speaker
It is a result of doing too much of what you don't feel passionate about. let me say that again. Burnout is not a result of doing too much. It's a burnout of doing... It's it's a bri result, excuse me, of doing too much of what you don't feel passionate about.
Strategies for Avoiding Burnout
00:01:07
Speaker
So here I am. My name's Elena and I like to be busy. I am extremely busy. But I do not feel burnt out. Ever. And guess why? It's because...
00:01:18
Speaker
My antidote to burnout isn't to do less. My antidote to burnout is to check in and see if I can do more of what I actually love doing.
00:01:32
Speaker
So back in the day, you know, when I was undercharging, people would have told me that I was going to burn out. They would say, you're not making enough money, you're going to burn out. And now I'm not undercharging anymore, but in the old days when I was undercharging, I loved what I was doing so much that I did not feel burnout.
00:01:51
Speaker
And what I realized was that I should only be photographing what truly lights me up. And of course, that's pretty obvious for me. That's families and newborns. and Excuse me. It's okay if that's not what you want to do, but that's what I do.
00:02:03
Speaker
So when it comes to the education side of my business, I only take on speaking engagements that I'm aligned with. And I'm really 1000% invested in my mastermind because that lights me up. Coaching my students, matt it just like makes me so happy, makes me feel so inspired.
00:02:20
Speaker
And on a personal front, I only volunteer in my kiddo's school when I actually want to. So I'm the art docent this year. And in my nine years of i in in my nine years of parenting this child, i have never, i I guess she's almost 10, had so much fun with something that I'm
The Role of Alignment and Passion
00:02:37
Speaker
doing with her. I love it so much.
00:02:39
Speaker
and i'm the art docent because i love it i'm not baking cakes for the school i'm not going to pta meetings that i don't want to go to i'm showing up in a way that i actually love and so it doesn't feel like a time suck Again, for those of you in the back, burnout is not caused from doing too much. It's caused by walking a path that is no longer yours.
00:03:01
Speaker
Building a business is going to take some work, but that is okay. and It is okay for you to have to work a little bit. This is okay. And if you build your photography business from a place of meaning and purpose, you will love the work that you're doing and you will avoid burnout.
Finding Happiness in a Busy Life
00:03:18
Speaker
I personally actually enjoy being busy because I like my life. I do. I'm obsessed with my business. I'm obsessed with my students. I'm obsessed with my kids. I'm obsessed with my husband.
00:03:30
Speaker
I'm obsessed with my friends. I love every little thing that I do that makes me feel busy. So if you are feeling burnt out, ask yourself what you are doing in your life that you are not aligned with.
Advice for Photographers
00:03:45
Speaker
you to ask yourself that. So with photographer busy season on the horizon, it's going to be a lot of work and there's going to be a lot of talk of burnout. It happens, of course. I mean, that's that that's a thing, but it's not because you're doing too much in general. It's probably because you're saying yes to the wrong things.
00:04:02
Speaker
Become obsessed with your art. Become obsessed with your clients. Become obsessed with your life. I live this out in all ways. And maybe that's because I'm in my 40s now, but only spend time with people that I want to spend time with.
00:04:15
Speaker
I only say yes again to the opportunities that I really want to want to engage in. I only watch what I want to watch on TV. Like I stopped watching sports after my first after my first marriage ended and wow, I was like, wow, I never liked sports.
00:04:28
Speaker
Interesting that I wasted all that time. I only watch, um i'm excuse me, I only photograph what I want to photograph. And I spend a heck of a lot of time on my mastermind because it truly lights me up seeing my students transform.
00:04:40
Speaker
So think about burnout a little differently now. And I will see you on the flip side.