Chapter 2
It's All up to You
Avoid Burnout and Create Balance
To me, if life boils down to one thing, it's movement. To live is to keep moving.
—Jerry Seinfeld
It should be clear by now which of your tasks are Gain and which are Prevent Pain. However, it might also have become clear that you are so busy with all of your Prevent Pain tasks that it would feel like Gain if you could just accomplish everything on your to-do list! I hear this all the time during my presentations. People say things like:
“How on Earth can I take on Gain and try to do more? I'm no overachiever!”
“I'd be happy if I could just get to the work that I have to do!”
“I have more to do at work and at home than I have time for already!”
“My list of goals is buried under a pile of stuff I have to do!”
So Why Take on Gain?
It's true that taking on Gain while you are buried in Prevent Pain can seem rather impossible or sadistic. Most people, after a long day at work, try to spend some time with family while facing the ever-present question of what to make for dinner before tackling chores, doing housework, and paying bills. After all of that, it's hard to imagine being able to muster up the energy to do anything more intelligent than watch a sitcom on TV before heading to bed to get those precious 7 hours of rest … just to do it all over again the next day. Pursuing your long-term goals is the furthest thing from your mind when you are at a point of exhaustion and frustration with daily life. It is too difficult ...
