Do you feel exhausted, unmotivated, and questioning why you even started? The cure for burnout isn’t just to stop overworking but also chasing the wrong purpose.
How shifting your purpose can restore your joy.
Key points
- Burnout often stems from chasing unattainable “Big P Purpose,” not personal fulfillment.
- “Little P Purpose” focuses on enjoying the journey, not just achieving distant goals.
- Adding joy to daily tasks can help combat burnout and boost career longevity.
- Happiness comes from small moments, not just the next big achievement.
A recent survey found that nearly one in three (32 percent) employed Americans reported experiencing job burnout at least once in the past year. Burnout is an all-too-common feeling: the crushing exhaustion, the persistent sense of failure, and the nagging question, “Why am I doing this?”
If you’re experiencing these feelings, there may be a deeper reason for it. It could be that the type of purpose you’re pursuing isn’t aligned with your personal well-being. The problem may not be with you—it might be with the kind of purpose you’re chasing.
I know this from personal experience. When I was just seven years old, my father—a beloved oncologist—passed away. In my childlike mind, I believed that his death was somehow my fault. I thought, “I wasn’t enough.” To make sense of this tragedy, I decided that I would follow in his footsteps and become a doctor, believing that somehow, I could right the wrongs of the universe and save lives.
This became my “Big P Purpose”—the grand, world-changing goal I set for myself to bring meaning to my father’s death and to save others from the pain that I had endured.
For years, this purpose fueled me. I worked relentlessly through high school, college, medical school, and eventually into my practice as a physician. My purpose felt noble, deeply important, and worthwhile.
But after all that effort, I realized something disturbing: I was deeply unhappy. I didn’t love the day-to-day work of being a doctor. The long hours, the endless paperwork, the constant emergencies in the middle of the night—it drained me. Even when I helped people, the joy of saving lives felt fleeting. And, of course, my two big goals—somehow undoing my father’s death and saving the world—both remained unattainable.
This is the trap of Big P Purpose: the grand, audacious goals we set for ourselves in a desperate attempt to prove our worth. The problem with Big P Purpose is that it’s often either unattainable or ultimately hollow. When we don’t achieve it, we feel like we’ve failed the world—and ourselves. And when we do succeed, we are often so exhausted by the process that the achievement doesn’t feel as fulfilling as we thought it would.
For me, burnout came from two main sources:
- Unmet expectations. No matter how many patients I saved, I could never undo my father’s death. That void remained.
- A lack of joy in the process. Even on days when things went well, I didn’t enjoy the grind. The daily work left me drained rather than energized.
Big P Purpose often leads to endless striving. You save one life, and there’s always another one to save. You launch a successful product, but then there’s pressure to top it. It’s like running on a treadmill: constantly moving but never reaching a satisfying destination. The pursuit itself becomes exhausting.
Read More Here: What Is Emotional Burnout And Ways To Replenish Your Energy
The Antidote: Little P Purpose
The cure for burnout isn’t abandoning purpose altogether—it’s redefining it. Enter “Little P Purpose.”
Little P Purpose is process-oriented. It’s about finding meaning and joy in the journey rather than obsessing over a distant goal. It’s the difference between working tirelessly because you love what you do and grinding away because you’re chasing a goal that doesn’t truly ignite your passion.
Take, for example, a startup founder who’s obsessed with their mission. They’re energized by the brainstorming, the problem-solving, and the late-night hustle. They might be working 80-hour weeks, but they feel fulfilled because they love the process. Now contrast that with someone like me, who slogged through a career that felt like an obligation. Same hours, vastly different experience.
When you begin to incorporate Little P Purpose into your life—whether at work or in your personal life—you create a powerful buffer against burnout. The key is that you become recharged by the process itself. You’re not constantly striving toward an unattainable outcome. Instead, you’re finding joy in the everyday activities, the smaller wins, and the incremental progress that add up over time.
The Impact on Career Longevity and Wealth
Burnout doesn’t just steal your joy—it can also shorten your career. When you’re emotionally drained, you’re more likely to step away from your job early, missing out on opportunities to grow professionally, build wealth, or discover fulfillment. If you’re pushing toward a Big P Purpose without finding joy in the process, it becomes harder to sustain the drive over time.
On the other hand, when you bring in Little P Purpose, it can significantly extend the longevity of your career and increase your happiness. Maybe you can’t change your entire job overnight, but can you find ways to inject joy into your routine?
Could you take on creative projects that excite you, form more meaningful connections with colleagues, or incorporate hobbies and passions outside of work that reignite your spark? These small shifts can transform how you experience both your work and your life.
Little P Purpose doesn’t require you to change your job or abandon your big dreams. It’s about adjusting your mindset to find joy in the present moment, regardless of the ultimate outcome. You can still have big ambitions—but instead of burning out in your pursuit of them, you’ll learn to enjoy the ride along the way.
A New Way to Live
So, if you’re feeling burnt out, take a moment to reflect: Are you chasing a Big P Purpose, trying to prove your worth through grand achievements and world-changing goals? Or can you shift your focus to Little P Purpose, finding joy in the daily tasks and letting that guide you toward a more fulfilling, sustainable life?
Because here’s the truth: true happiness isn’t found in the next big win. It’s in the small, joyful moments that happen along the way—the process, not the destination. When you focus on these little moments of purpose, the big goals might start to feel less daunting, and the burnout will begin to fade.
Read More Here: The 12 Stages Of Burnout: From Irritability To Exhaustion
So, take a step back, redefine your purpose, and give yourself the permission to thrive in the process. It might just be the most transformative thing you can do for your career, your well-being, and your happiness.
References
Yoh. (2024, December 4). Survey: 45% of American workers may be experiencing job burnout and not know it. GlobeNewswire
Written by: Jordan Grumet M.D.
Originally appeared on: Psychology Today
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