Ask anyone who has actively pursued a dream and they’ll tell you — it’s a lot of work.
Early mornings.
Late nights.
Down time on weekends.
Producing, creating, constantly being “on”.
Working while waiting on an oil change, riding the bus, or watching TV with the family.
Work, work, work, work, and more work.
Pursuing a dream isn’t always fun. But it needs to be done.
So we lace up our boots, put our gloves on, and get to work.
Sacrificing sleep in order to be more productive.
Taking every free second to progress a little further.
Working every spare minute just to get ahead.
Shoving aside rest, relaxation, and even sabbathing in the name of our dream.
And we’re lauded for it.
After all, if you want to achieve your dream, you need to work for it.
But there is a danger when pursuing a dream — one that arises when we least expect it, least want it, and are least prepared for.
Burnout.
If you only get 5 hours of sleep a night in order to pursue your dream, you’re on the path to burnout.
If you’ve given up opportunities to just enjoy your day, you’re heading to a burnout.
If every second of every day you’re producing just to build your dream, you may already be on the edge of burnout.
If you sacrifice time with family, friends, and especially God to just get a little more done, you are asking for burnout.
[Tweet “We have begun idolizing the pursuit of a dream to the point it’s completely draining us.”]
And it’s becoming an addiction.
The more you work, the more you pursue, the further you get in chasing your dream, the greater the addiction.
Must. Do. More.
Pursuing a dream is great. In fact, it’s necessary to living a life of purpose of greatness.
As long as it’s done in a healthy way.
It’s okay to take a day off. Hit the snooze button one day. Choose to put aside the dream to-do list and just have fun. Get a good (and healthy) night’s sleep.
Your dream needs you to.
Because once you hit that season of burnout, your dream will greatly suffer.
Question: What do you need to change in the pursuit of your dream in order to avoid burnout?