I INVESTED IN A WELLBEING COACH TO HELP ME AVOID BURNOUT

The 5.30am alarm was never something I got used to.

But when the job was enjoyable it seemed bareable.

See…I spent nearly 20 years working in London.

I was lucky to work at some of the biggest companies around.

Glencore - one of the world's largest diversified natural resource companies.

ABB - a technology leader in electrification and automation with over 100,000 employees.

GFI - a world leader in providing pricing, liquidity, trading technology and post-trade services for a wealth of fixed income cash and derivatives markets.

I loved working for all of these companies and learned from so many amazing people.

So I had the job. Tick.

I was earning £100k+. Tick.

I had convertible sports car, and a luxury watch. Tick.

I was fit, healthy, attached, happy, and thriving. Tick.

And yet… by 35…

I looked around one day and thought… is this it?

200 hours a month at my desk had started to take it’s toll.

The rollercoaster of making money every single day will drain you.

No amount is ever enough.

The early mornings, late nights, and weekends away in Ibiza and skiing with clients started to lose it’s appeal.

Even though my colleagues were great, I had that nagging feeling that something wasn’t right.

I realise now that I had a Silent Struggle.

I was starting to live a quiet life of desperation.

On a hamster wheel to nowhere, albeit it with plenty of money in the bank.

GFI were amazing, the company helped by allowing me to switch roles.

But deep down, I was never going to realise my potential in life by trading time for money…

Sitting at a desk looking out the window wondering ‘What could have been’.

So, before I got to the stage of burnout and jacking it all in, I spent a few thousands pounds and enlisted the help of a coach.

It helped me get my head straight…

I focused on what was important and what needed to be done to live how I wanted to live.

If I hadn’t spent that money on the coach I may have continued to drift in a role that required full focus.

That wouldnt have been good for me or the company.

Because if your hearts not in it, or you are just going through the motions…

You are are an expensive passenger in the organisation…

And your value to the company will begin a slow decline.

Fast forward to today and I get up about 5.45am with a spring in my step.

I NEVER have the dreaded ‘Sunday night’ back to work tomorrow feeling that I hated for a few years.

And for me, I didnt need a therapist, or a ‘safe space’.

I was in ‘The Gap’.

I just needed someone to talk to who had been there and could listen, understand, and help me move forward.

That coach helped the company save a lot of money.

Because unmotivated staff are never going to perform at their best.

And that’s why, when I help people in ‘The Gap’ I can empathise with the situation they are in.

So, the question is…

How much could you invest in someone to help avoid these situations in your company, business, team, or organisation?