Don’t blame the job when it’s all in your mind

An inability to understand how the mind functions can be a major contributor to burnout and dissatisfaction amongst high-performing employees, says Simone-Ellen Keller.

High-performing Kiwis face burnout and dissatisfaction which results in a tendency to move between jobs. On average job turnover in New Zealand is as high as 39 percent a year.

But a significant contributor other than the workplace itself may include an inability to understand how the mind functions.

Simone-Ellen Keller, a personal transformation strategist and founder of Genius You, believes that high performers consistently strive for excellence, but without the right framework to understand their minds, they often become stuck, depressed, and needlessly perfectionistic.

Keller’s comments follow recent findings that New Zealanders are more likely than any other nationalities to suffer burnout[1].

“The problem arises from the gap between a high performer’s innate desire to achieve and the framework they possess to realise that desire,” says Keller. “The framework here refers to the way people understand their minds and extract the best out of them. Unfortunately, everyone’s framework is leading to limited versions of what they could be.”

Keller (pictured below) says that when she teaches her clients a new framework, their job satisfaction and performance rocket.

“Our understanding of how to achieve our desires is inherited. The people who taught us this understanding were often unable to achieve everything they desired, which suggests that we are following a faulty framework of understanding. One that doesn’t work. One that has assumed a whole bunch of desires, and a whole system of how to get there. 

“It is not just about what we are chasing, it is also about the way in which we chase it. Status, acknowledgement, roles, or titles without comprehending how to actually get satisfaction, is incredibly disappointing,” she says.

Keller says the drive towards high achievement is ingrained in many, but without proper education about how the mind works, the problem will persist. It’s not about potential; it’s about the framework of the mind, she says. The lack of understanding leads to burnout, disruption, and broken personal relationships.

“One answer lies in understanding the mind as a functional machine. By studying and learning to operate it, high performers can harness their ‘Ducati motor’ to achieve the right things, both professionally and personally.”

Keller offers the following three pieces of advice:

1. Embrace emotions

Learn how to use both good and bad emotions to fix problems and improve relationships. 

“Don’t just avoid bad emotions because they feel yucky. Look to understand what those emotions are trying to communicate to you.”

2. Align intentions

Recognise what truly matters, rather than getting stuck in superficial desires, such as owning a yacht instead of embracing freedom and fun.

3. Navigate emotions intelligently

Understand how to get through difficulties using your mind without causing undue stress to oneself and others.

“By unlocking the understanding of our minds, we not only enhance personal success but create a world that benefits all. It’s time to move beyond the restrictions and unleash our own individual brilliance,” says Keller. 

More information can be found here: https://www.geniusyou.co.nz/