Page 64 - Free Yourself From

Balancing Your Work and Life 47

Inevitably, they lose sight of priorities and fail to make progress
on the things that are most important to them. As a result, they
feel frustrated and in conflict with their own priorities, and
burnout usually isn’t far behind.

The Martyr Syndrome: Many women are devoted wives and mothers,
and fiercely loyal employees. They will go the extra mile to support,
fix, or make things better for others. They feel guilt when they
aren’t there for one of these constituents the way they think they
ought to be. But they also resent not having the time they would
like for themselves. They forget to establish a broad vision of life
for themselves and wind up burning the candle at both ends. Again,
what is the result? They wind up demoralized and exhausted and
yes, burnout lurks ahead for them as well.

The Self-Critic Syndrome: Some women turn introspection and self-
examination into a never-ending cycle of self-criticism. They
over-analyze their potential flaws as well as their accomplish-
ments, and as a result, they never feel they’re good enough. They
obsess and overwork to compensate and wind up working to
keep up and prove themselves, rather than to get ahead. The
result? They never learn to play to their natural strengths and
never feel fulfilled. They can be burnt out and deny that it’s okay
to do something about it.

The Perfectionist Syndrome: Some women need to bring even the
smallest details to their level of perfection and, as a result, are
reluctant to hand off work to others or to delegate. They become
the barrier to getting things done rather than the efficient
achiever they believe themselves to be. Worse, they come to be
seen as worker bees rather than leaders. The result? They won-
der why they keep getting passed over for promotions, and