Recently I was, perhaps somewhat unempathetically, musing on the seemingly more prevalent occurrence of burnout here in The Netherlands. I just seem to hear of it so much.
Apparently, in 2013, the Netherlands ranked as the fourth happiest country in the world, and one of the reasons for this is its flexible work structure. Yet, CBS reports show that a boggling 13% of Dutch employees experience burnout. (source) Maybe its the Calvinist American work ethic in me that instinctively believes people should be able to put their head down & power through. I know its just not that simple.
"Put Up or Shut Up" officially means: justify oneself or remain silent. To me, this often means stepping up the plate and taking a swing. You don't credit for barking from the sidelines. Like Kelli's or Greg's stories below: you have to live your life and then you get to give advice. Others should listen.
But "Put up and shut up" can mean carrying on regardless of just how bad, sad or mad we may be feeling. No doubt this is how many embark on the bummer road to burnout. Where's the balance?
There's no easy answer here but I like Neil Pasricha's idea to avoid burnout by asking this question. Understanding intrinsic & extrinsic motivation in your personal & professional life may be the key. Lining up for "failure" because you want to and saving yourself because no one else will.
As always, thank you all for reading!
with appreciation,
Jon
❤️ this? Please tweet it, share on LinkedIn or post on FB. תודה
Cycling
Lining up for "failure"
Honest & inspiring stuff here.
Good luck in London Kelli!
VIDEO: EROICA LIMBURG 2017
We had a total blast despite the rainy conditions. Check out this short film we made for Brooks Nederland. Awesome work Frank!
PRE ORDER: Bin Chicken Tee – BECAUSEFIXIE
My bud Matt has made a shirt inspired by the majestic and illustrious Australian White Ibis (Threskiornis molucca), a fast and nimble scavenger often found feeding from bins and refuse points around the cities.
Startups
Save Yourself
This essay by Greg Hoy first appeared in the now sold out 10th issue of Offscreen. It is about losing yourself in your work, building what you didn't initially intend to & getting back to where you started.
Umbrella-sharing startup loses nearly all of its 300,000 umbrellas in a matter of weeks: Shanghaiist
With bike-sharing companies like Mobike becoming incredibly successful in Chinese cities, a few startups have decided to mimic the concept with shareable umbrellas. The only problem: most of the umbrellas have gone missing.
Meet the Mentors of Startup Weekend Utrecht
This will be my 3rd year as a Startup Weekend mentor. Honored to featured next to some inspiring entrepreneurs, investors and industry veterans. Meet fellow mentors coming to Utrecht this fall.
Sales
5 Ways to Boost Sales With the Social Media Apps You’re Already Using…
Here’s the thing: A ton of online content is more theoretical than it is actionable. I like articles, like this one, that are actionable. : )
What problems will B2B SaaS encounter that is directed to the niche market?
The biggest problem with niche markets is math — pricing that is too low.
Niches can start small and grow larger, and usually do with great teams. But...
The Benefits of Talking to Yourself
“Language provides us with this tool to gain distance from our own experiences when we’re reflecting on our lives. And that’s really why it’s useful" - Ethan Kross, a professor of psychology at the University of Michigan.
Motivating yourself out loud can work. ; )
Radness
Startup Says its AI Can Pick Out Sarcasm
Gong, an Israeli startup is applying AI and neural networks to determine when words are sarcastic or to be taken at face value.
By getting a better handle on what people really mean, Gong thinks it can help do some very pragmatic things like helping sales people close more deals. To accomplish that, Gong records phone or online conversations between sales people and customers or would-be customers.
Thanks for the tip Jambi!
