Power Post 5

How do you prevent burnout? My Blog posts for the past few days have been an inside perspective as to what the staff and volunteers (and me - Wayne) have been doing to grow our organization. Tonight I am a bit challenged with the question of how to prevent burn out.

I think the answer to this question is very complicated and often times very different for different people. For me - the answer is . . . continuously remembering who we serve and why.

When I am in clinic and the rush of the day and the pressure of the patient load makes me want to drop what I am doing and run away - I stop for a second and think about the people I am so fortunate to serve. I allow myself to remember that the lives they live are often very chaotic and fractured. I ask myself what one thing I can do with my next patient to help them feel comfortable, to let them know that they are not alone in this life.

I do this same sort of thing with my work on HBI. Sometimes the e-mails, the endless reports and project plans - they overwhelm me. When this happens, I stop myself for a few minutes and I ask "who is this work for? And how can I ensure that it is the best I have to offer?"

I remember little Ines and her beautiful smile. I think about Father Alex and his tireless fight for the poor. I think about the many nameless children living on the streets of Lima who are cold, hungry and scared. I remember that this work is about something so much bigger than myself; and then I take a deep breath, stretch my neck - and get done to the work that I am so passionate about . . . serving others in the name of love.