Are you suffering from burn-out? • Hacker News Board

Re: Are you suffering from burn-out?

#51

Post by sophacles » Tue, Jul 27, 2010, 2:38 PM UTC

jpdbaugh wrote: post #42

sophacles wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I am going to chime in here with my experience on this: I worked my way through college, mostly as a bartender, and for a little bit as a janitor for the school. In high school I set up large canopy tents for a company. I learned through this that a lot of physical work is cathartic. I can get my frustrations out. I provides my body something to do, and my mind a trivial foreground task, so I can get lost in thought…

Thanks for the great reply. Back in high school I used to work at a real nice hotel doing Bell and Valet service. I remember being quite similar to your experience as a bartender. I wasn't dancing but the job had its own charm in running a mile for cars or seeing how well I could pack the bags in a car and all of the other small things like those that make up a job like that. I also attribute learning how to be more…

Maybe there is that link you assert. I'm not sure tho, what you are saying... I do enjoy the nature of getting more value for work, and I have a passing interest in entrepreneurship, in that it usually involves an interesting challenge. I am however, very unmotivated by money (and value as measured by it) as an end.

To me money is merely a means. The real goals are:

* Interesting problems * Interesting people interactions * adventures * access to cool toys/equipment (and the actual need for it) * changing environment

Money just pays the bills and puts food on the table. I personally have a long history of maximizing the points above (the money has been good enough to not be a problem too :)). Sure, I could work real hard, and get the money to enable the rest, but the net money and benefits would probably be the same, but for more work. Instead I build a way to get my goals into my environment.

Does this match what you were saying?

Re: Are you suffering from burn-out?

#52

Post by jpdbaugh » Wed, Jul 28, 2010, 1:48 AM UTC

sophacles wrote: post #51

jpdbaugh wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thanks for the great reply. Back in high school I used to work at a real nice hotel doing Bell and Valet service. I remember being quite similar to your experience as a bartender. I wasn't dancing but the job had its own charm in running a mile for cars or seeing how well I could pack the bags in a car and all of the other small things like those that make up a job like that. I also attribute learning how to be more…

Maybe there is that link you assert. I'm not sure tho, what you are saying... I do enjoy the nature of getting more value for work, and I have a passing interest in entrepreneurship, in that it usually involves an interesting challenge. I am however, very unmotivated by money (and value as measured by it) as an end. To me money is merely a means. The real goals are: * Interesting problems * Interesting people interac…

Yea that definitely does. I am trying to live my life after I graduate from school the same way. My biggest fear is sitting at a desk doing nothing of importance for the next 40 years. Being from a small town and living a pretty boring life for my first quarter I want to have adventure and not just horde piles of junk.

Re: Are you suffering from burn-out?

#53

Post by pasbesoin » Wed, Jul 28, 2010, 3:39 PM UTC

I'm at -- hopefully -- the tail end of a long and deep burnout. I can summarize the experience as doing what other people wanted against / at the expense of my own wishes. Life always involves a certain amount of this, but in my case it came to dominate and to define my life.

Doing such things should be held to the level where they merely and as optimally as possible enable your own wishes. Not that this does NOT preclude altruism. I practice altruism and take great pleasure from it. But then, it can thusly be seen as one of my wishes -- when I approach it on my terms.

For a long time, work and neighbors wanted me to meet their needs. But they paid little or no attention to mine. Very one way, and very draining. Don't mistake profession of mutual interest by another party for actual interest on their part. (Actions speak louder than words.) If you continue to be rather underwhelmed at what they offer in return, it's a good sign that your interests do not align. You are at the edge of the tar pit of burnout; turn around, before you turn into one of those fossils that will one day be displayed in a museum. Very undignified. ;-)