Last week I attended the Kajabi Hero conference, where I joined thousands of other business owners who had left Corporate to become full time Entrepreneurs. Most people were  “living their dream” by teaching and coaching the exact skills which have made them successful. 

In my case, I teach tech sales. But interestingly enough, I didn’t meet any other sales coaches there. There were people teaching accounting, fine art, time management, entrepreneurship, gardening, LinkedIn, fitness, and everything else under the sun. I am fully convinced there’s never been a better time to own a business and monetize the skills you’ve worked so hard to acquire over your entire life. 

I learned a ton during the conference, but one of the things that stood out most was that nearly every presenter warned against the #1 threat to founders that prevents their businesses from achieving sustainable success over the long term: BURNOUT. 

Yes, it’s not the economy, or sales skills, or their business model. It’s their ability to stay in the game long enough without burning out! 

Even though these business owners left corporate to pursue their dream, they lose passion, energy, and motivation because they put so much into their business that they no longer enjoy it, regardless of what they are teaching or helping people with. 

Because they are exhausted and burnt out. And you can’t enter a flow state when you’re depleted at this level, nor can you continue to perform year after year. 

I see a lot of the same parallels between Entrepreneurs and sellers.

They put so much into their work, and experience so much daily stress and pressure (often self-induced), that they no longer enjoy what they do and consider changing companies or leaving sales altogether. 

I experienced this as a top performer in sales, and thought that it would change when I became a business owner. 

While I absolutely LOVE coaching for a living and running a business, when I work at such an intense pace every day I often experience these exact same feelings of exhaustion and burnout.

Regardless of what you do for a living, if you work at a frantic, stressful, and unsustainable pace you will not enjoy your job, even if you have your dream job. 

Slowing down, having fun, giving myself more space, and working at a sustainable pace are all top priorities for 2025. That’s the only way I’m going to stay in this for the long haul. 

So why do we put so much time, energy, and effort into work? 

Of course we all want to make a great living, but it goes deeper than that. 

Many of us make work “our God.”

When I say this, I mean we make work the #1 priority in the world, and prioritize it above everything else. 

Our identity, self-worth, and security are intricately tied to our performance at work. 

The challenge is that regardless of how well you are doing at work, or how much money you have saved up, if you make work your God you will always be chasing and chasing something that won’t deliver what you want. 

There will always be a void, and you will keep trying to fill it not knowing why you’re never happy or satisfied even when you reach your goals. 

You see, happiness does not come from work. It’s called “work” for a reason. It’s demanding and stressful and intense. 

You HAVE to find joy, fulfillment, and peace in other areas of your life besides your performance. It’s the key to playing the long game and enjoying yourself along the way. 

In today’s video, I share the #1 secret which has helped me stay a high performer in both sales and entrepreneurship over the past 22 years without burning out. 

We also cover the following four strategies to help you play the long game in sales, business, and life: 

1. How to focus on the journey (and enjoy it), instead of stressing about the destination
2. Do your best every day, and give yourself grace along the way (we are not robots)
3. How a continuous growth mindset helps you constantly adapt and iterate
4. The importance of enjoying your time outside of work with presence and gratitude.