On Fire: The 3 Pillars of Rejuvenation and Growth
We have all experienced it at least once in our lives. The work you are doing is just dragging. You’re apathetic to the outcome and you just want to get it over with.
This feeling of indifference wasn’t always there. There was a day where you were super excited to be doing this work. You told all your friends and family about it. But now you’re here. Feeling burnt out with no real idea what to do to break out of this rut.
You’re now left with three questions. How did this happen? How did I get here? And how do I stop feeling like this? All are signaling the defeat of not really knowing what to do about this newfound indifference.
Unfortunately, this story is all too familiar for me.
I’ve experienced this in all areas of my life. Seriously. It’s happened in my career as a physical therapist, in my faith as a Catholic, and in entrepreneurial endeavors.
Are we all much closer than we think to this edge of indifference that leads to burnout?
The answer is yes! But what sets those people of indifference apart from those who have flourishing careers, prayer life, and businesses.
The answer lies in the 3 Pillars.
Discovering The 3 Pillars
I discovered these 3 pillars by chance in my own personal life. And it only happened because two areas of my life were going really well (physical therapy career and Catholic faith) and the other was not (business endeavors)
Through my own self-reflection, I analyzed what was different about the areas that were working and the area that was not. That’s when it became clear to me that there were 3 pillars in place that kept me feeling rejuvenated and continuing to experience exponential growth.
With these pillars in place, I noticed it created a cycle or feedback loop that set me on fire to continue doing more work at a highly efficient pace. It also seemed to be the cure for burnout, in both preventing it or getting out of it.
This feeling of rejuvenation and growth is something you might have experienced. Some people have detailed it as being set on fire. Because there is a burning desire to do more. This is the place where we want to be.
Before we get to the 3 pillars, it’s important we talk about the hidden secret. Yes, there is a hidden secret that unlocks the potential of the three pillars.
The Hidden Secret
There is a hidden secret to the success of the pillars. That secret is love. You have to love what you do.
This means that you have the drive to be better and have the want to serve others. These two go hand in hand. The drive to be better primarily comes from a place of wanting to serve better. The better your skillset, the better equipped you are to serve.
An example in my life is my role as a physical therapist. I love what I do because I’m impacting lives daily. I’m serving people and giving them a better quality of living, and arguably, adding years to their life. That means a lot to me.
It means so much to me, that I’m always looking to get better at what I do to maximize their outcomes. I participate in courses on the latest techniques, review human anatomy, and study the latest research to enhance my practice patterns. The better I am at my job, the quicker I can achieve higher outcomes for my patients.
It all comes from a love for my fellow man (or in this case my patients). If that doesn’t exist than these pillars might not work. There has to be a purpose behind your work.
Side note: Before you continue, check out this short clip of Howard Stern’s interview with Jerry Seinfeld. Their conversation talks about this same point of love, in that, you have to love what you do in order to be able to endure and have success.
The 3 Pillars
These pillars unknowingly have been keeping me rejuvenated and growing in both my career as a physical therapist and my faith as a Catholic. Let’s dissect each one and how they can be applied to your life.
Learning
This is my favorite pillar. I’m addicted to learning in both physical therapy and Catholicism. Living in the Spanish influenced city of San Antonio, one might call me a Spiritual Gordito. A little, spiritual fatty because I love to consume content.
Consuming content can be both a good and bad thing. I’m constantly curious and want to know more. Knowing more lets me be a better physical therapist and a better Catholic.
But at the end of the day, we are called to do work. We are called to take action. We aren’t called to sit on the sideline and consume.
We discussed that it’s important to know more about physical therapy because it allows me to better serve my patients. But how does knowing more allow me to a better Catholic?
My faith becomes strengthened when learning more about Catholicism. The roots deepen. This, in turn, leads to better behavior, such as, attending Mass, daily prayer, partaking in the sacraments, and having conversations with others about Catholicism. All things we are called to do as Catholics.
Evaluate your own life. Do you spend time learning about the areas of your life that you are actively engaged with? When was the last time you studied some material to make you better at your job? Or read a book to help with your communication and/or relationships? Or joined a Bible study, to not only help keep you accountable but to strengthen the word of God in you?
If you are feeling indifferent about your life, then jump start it with some fresh ideas that might shift your perspective. You have to break the cycle and learning is the most convenient and easiest way to accomplish that.
Advocacy
What is advocacy?
You might not have the itch to go and advocate. That’s normal. Most people don’t have that desire.
It’s easy for our minds to immediately jump to an image of protesting or sitting in the office of a congressman on Capitol Hill. But don’t make advocacy hard. Advocacy can be as simple as educating someone on your cause or profession through a conversation or during a business transaction.
Most people don’t realize that they are advocating for something every day. This article isn’t talking about aimless advocating. It needs to be purposeful.
When you advocate you are on the front lines. You have more skin in the game. You are more engaged in what is going on in your profession or the cause that you are fighting for. Plus, you're putting your own self on the line because you better know what you are talking about.
There is an increased level of commitment when advocating.
In Catholicism, evangelizing is similar to advocacy. Evangelizing according to the Catechism of the Catholic Church is,
“From his loving knowledge of Christ springs the desire to proclaim him, to ‘evangelize’ and to lead others to the ‘yes’ of faith in Jesus Christ.”
It’s sharing your personal testimony with someone. It’s being vulnerable. It’s again on the front lines sharing the word of God. It forces you to be engaged. And again, to know your stuff.
How could something this stimulating not wake you up out of your funk?
There is no arguing that advocating or evangelizing will be effective in breaking you free from the chains of indifference. The issue is that you might not be ready for such an activity.
Be prepared to take action by engaging the first pillar of learning. Train hard to know your stuff.
If you still don’t feel prepared or remain indifferent to take action, than it’s likely that you don’t have the right perspective on advocacy or evangelization. I encourage you to read, The Forgotten Duty (that everyone should do), which details the importance of these efforts and how to advocate. It might lead to the perspective shift you need to take the necessary action.
Demonstration
The third pillar is demonstration. Demonstration is taking action in a direct way. Essentially, it’s the work you do in your day-to-day. It’s demonstrating your abilities and what you are capable of.
For physical therapy, it’s acting in my role as a healer or the point man for a good referral. In Catholicism, it’s partaking in the sacraments and the mass, praying, and speaking at retreats.
Warning: Don’t take this pillar for granted.
Regardless of how you are feeling, whether, on fire or indifferent, you shouldn’t be going through the motions of your day-to-day. You should be continuing to go above and beyond for the people you serve. That could be your clients, patients, coworkers, family, or fellow parishioners. Always focus on leaving others with the impression of increase.
Focusing on others is the answer to getting out of your own way. Don’t give in to the temptation of being less than your best.
In Closing
The 3 Pillars of Rejuvenation and Growth will create continual rejuvenation and exponential growth in those areas of your life that need it most. Act on these pillars and let them set you on fire. Create that positive feedback loop that will set you on fire and continue to drive you.
And don’t forget the two keys that allow this concept to work.
You have to love what you do. And you have to consistently participate in each of the 3 pillars. The 3 Pillars of Rejuvenation and Growth won’t work if you don’t do all three or if you are half-assing them.
Be focused. Be engaged. Be purposeful. And focus on your fellow man.
Until Next Time,
Dr. Craig Bowen
