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Burnout or Misalignment? What We’re Really Seeing

 

A lot of professionals show up saying they’re burned out.

 

But when we start digging, it’s not just about pressure, workload, or company culture. It’s misalignment.

Sometimes partial. Sometimes full. But either way, it sits in the background long enough to drain them - until they can’t ignore it anymore.

 

Here’s what we see come up most often:

 

 

1. They’ve outgrown the role

They’re no longer learning. They’ve become the teacher, the go-to person, the one who solves things - but there’s nothing stretching them anymore.

 

This doesn’t always feel negative at first. Some people are naturally drawn to roles like this - empaths, steady leaders, those who find meaning in mentoring. And for some, that shift is the alignment.

 

But for others, it slowly switches off their spark. If there’s no challenge, no curiosity, no space to evolve - passion fades in the background.

 

We’ve seen this play out across industries. CFOs transitioning into CEO roles. Senior professionals in their 30s and 40s going back to study. For many, that sense of growth reignites when they finally step into something that reflects where they are now - not where they were ten years ago.

 

When people stay in the same structure too long without evolving, it doesn’t just feel flat. It becomes stagnant. And they slowly start disconnecting from their own ambition.

 

 

2. They’re living someone else’s plan

It could be family expectations. A role they were praised into early. Or a career that “makes sense” but lacks any personal connection.

 

They’ve built something that looks solid - but doesn’t feel aligned.

 

And the truth is: we dedicate a huge part of our life force to work. If you’re in something you don’t actually want, no amount of external validation will make up for the internal disconnect.

 

At some point - often around the mid-30s to 40s, depending on emotional growth - this becomes impossible to ignore. People start asking, “Is this it?” not because they’re ungrateful, but because they’re unfulfilled.

 

And when we trace it back, it’s rarely about burnout. It’s about the fact they never wanted this path in the first place. Not really.

 

 

3. They’ve ignored the signs for years

They felt it. They knew something was off. But they kept pushing through it, telling themselves it wasn’t the right time.

 

That story lasted five years.

 

The job still looked fine from the outside. But the connection to it slowly faded. They didn’t stop to question it - because they were too used to keeping things going.

 

That’s how misalignment turns into burnout. Not because the job was too much - but because they stayed in it long after it stopped making sense.

 

Burnout is the symptom. Misalignment is the root.

 

Yes - true burnout exists. But more often than not, what people call burnout is really something else:

• Unused potential
• Values they’ve outgrown
• A career built on automatic rather than intention

 

No job title can fix that. Neither can a break, a raise, or another project. It needs truth - and space to realign.

 

 

This is the real clarity work.

Not starting over. Not waiting until something breaks. Just naming what’s already real - and making decisions that respect it.

 

The longer you push through misalignment, the more quietly it drains you - until burnout becomes inevitable.

 

And sometimes the smartest move is to stop and check: Is this still right for me? Or have I just gotten good at making it work?

 

 

This week, there’s no reflection question. Just a shift in perspective.

Because the answer might already be in you - you’ve just gotten used to quieting it.

 

Want to find out where you stand? Book a clarity call to talk it through 👉 https://calendly.com/arickard/intro-meeting

 

 

✍🏼 Written by Abigail R.

Founder of arickard | Coach & Consultant | Author of Self-Love Blueprint & Unbreakable. Supporting leaders and changemakers to regulate their nervous system, gain clarity, and find calm - so they can lead with presence, purpose, and emotional depth.

 

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