Avoid Energy-Draining Hand-Wringing

One major cause of burnout is dwelling on past problems and thinking about what "could have been" in your career. "It is a totally unproductive exercise that drains your energy," says aerospace consultant Tom Gunn. Invincible executives assimilate past mistakes and use them as guideposts to chart a future course, but they do not spend a lot of time regretting their mistakes or thinking what could have been. "Forgive yourself" for your past failures and move on, says former Senator Alan Simpson.

Because they do not dwell on the past, top professionals are not as likely as others to experience burnout. As Roger Kennedy, former head of the Smithsonian Institution, put it, "Top people study history, but they do not dwell on it." And if you are going to reflect on the past, Bill Shaw of Marriott notes, "reflect on the successes that you have had, not the failures."

People feel burned out because they are not happy with the results of their hard work. If you are looking forward most of the time, therefore, burnout rarely becomes an issue.