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Burn Out...


Flexmoney

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Not to take away from any other threads...I thought I would start this one.

We get into burn out quite a bit. I know I hit it some this year.

Something I noticed is that burn out seems like it can come from the lack of a "good" goal.

We need short and long term goals that make sense. And, we need to have a new goal in place...ready to go...when we reach a current goal.

If we don't have a good, proper goal...and a means to achieve it (written plan)...then we end up spinning our wheel...just going to the range çause we are supposed to go...

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My burnout came when I started doing things other people wanted me to do. It also had something to do with being afraid to let go of things that have given you success in the past (say you're a good Lim shooter and you're afraid to switch to Open because you will have to "start from scratch"). The funny thing is that there is no thing more detrimental to shooting performance than burn out...

If you do EXACTLY what you want, there's no burn out. This includes taking breaks, switching divisions, shooting different shooting games etc.

My 2 cents.

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This is going to be my 1000th post ... I guess it's fitting that it should be a little introspective.

When this happens to me I let the necessity for accomplishment go. I think about how cool guns are and how much I've always liked them. I think about how fun and funny the people I shoot with are. I think about how much I like being at the range.

so far ... its always made me smile.

:)

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Interesting post. I've found my interests have shifted over to some of the other things I like to do. Spent the last few months researching and building a new computer for myself.

Now that it is finished, my enthusiasm for shooting has returned!

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spook, good stuff. You hav to have your goals. You can't get excited for the goals others have for you.

------------

Another aspect...

Sometimes we might have a false goal (for example...to make Master). When can reach that goal (on paper). But, we don't picture ourselves in that setting (shooting like a Master). So, we revert back to the image that we have of ourselves. We don't shoot (like a Master) at that bad goal level. But, we now have the added pressure of the title.

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If you are burned out on a specific thing, ie., shooting, it has helped me to go be a spectator. Go to the big area shoot and don't take your gun. I know in the past when feeling burned out on hunting, it has helped to go and work the dogs for other buddies but take no gun. After a week or two of that, the itch is back.

Also realize that "burn out" is a real thing, but a "feeling" thing. It sneaks in on things which usually conflict time-wise with other things we want to do, or need to do. It is mental, which leads to physical. No one gets burned out on breathing, or drinking water when thirsty, or sleeping, or eating...kick it around in your mind and understand exactly what it is. Sometimes, understanding you have the freedom NOT to shoot, or NOT to hunt, goes a long way in curing the problem. And face it, taking a few months off of something is not going to kill you, and it is not going to ruin your "game".

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Not to take away from any other threads...I thought I would start this one.

......from the lack of a "good" goal.

We need short and long term goals that make sense. And, we need to have a new goal in place...ready to go...when we reach a current goal.

If we don't have a good, proper goal...and a means to achieve it (written plan)...then we end up spinning our wheel...just going to the range çause we are supposed to go...

I am a true believer in this concept. I feel this is absolutely essential in anything that requires a long time frame to accomplish. I use this constantly in my work. IE: If I can just stay with these 7x14 hr days for one more month I can finish my shop - or something... Kinda the old "one foot in front of the other" thing. The things I am lacking in are What to use as a goal - in shooting - and my inability to formulate a written goal for my shooting.

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If you do EXACTLY what you want, there's no burn out. This includes taking breaks, switching divisions, shooting different shooting games etc.

I think this is important, both short and long term. Don't train everyday of the week. Take a whole week off here and there. Have an "off-season" for a month or two every year. This way you won't have to take an extensive time off because of burn-out. It's kind of like watching what you eat on a regular basis so you don't have to go on a "diet" a couple of times a year just to get back to a desired weight level.

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One thing I forgot to mention though, be honest with yourself.

I have had friends in various sports or jobs complain of burn out...and when you really started discussing it the reality became clear: Their life was a mess. If you have a failing marriage, a sick kid, a dog that just died and you just totalled your truck...and you don't feel like shooting any longer? Odds are you are not burned out---you are overwhelmed by life.

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Interesting post. I've found my interests have shifted over to some of the other things I like to do. Spent the last few months researching and building a new computer for myself.

Now that it is finished, my enthusiasm for shooting has returned!

Vluc, that is exactly te kind of stuff I was talking about. As long as you do what makes you feel good, the shooting will be good.

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Man, I am glad that someone can do EXACTLY what they want...I have NEVER been able to do that...seems like life is all about compromise, with some little things that come your way which allow us to have hope that we can do SOME of the things we want to do..

I am afraid if I did all I wanted, I would get bored...Not being able to help others, see them progress, enjoy the time I spent with them doing other things...isn't that what makes us well rounded people? I don't mean eating a lot... :lol:

Selfishness does not alleviate burnout because it is usually over indulgence that causes it to start with and over indulgence is usually a by product of being selfish with our time management...IMHO...

My .02 ;)

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My burnout came when some of my fellow-shooters (in my little IPSC-shooting team) let me down.

I was left very disappointed with their actions (some of them illegal). I couldn't cope, so I resigned :(

Huge hangover...practising on my own since almost a year now, it's no fun standing alone....

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Odds are you are not burned out---you are overwhelmed by life.

A two year old kid will help you feel that way too :D ...I've not picked up a competition gun since September. I miss it but....new position at work, hunting for freezer meat, and chasing a two year old around sure kills the desire to concentrate on the front sight. My mind races from one thing to the next....but I am beginning to miss the feeling of driving back from Quincy knowing I've accomplished a small life-goal - to shoot the USPSA Nationals. Man, that was awesome! Now to set realistic short term goals, pray for spring and get back in the groove...besides Flex and SA miss me, I just know it! :lol:

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Miss you?

That reminds me of a poem...

I Miss Her Sometimes.

...I ran into my ex-girlfriend the other day...

...Then I backed up...and, ran into her again...

...I miss her...sometimes.

[edit: thought I better add some :):):) so nobody thoght I was serious]

Edited by Flexmoney
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I'm a firm believer in making yourselft take a break. Call it a off season or whatever. It gives you time to do other things, it gives that mental break after a months of traveling to matches. Would it of helped me to dryfire for the last 3 months, no doubt. If I did that I know I would risk burnout in mid season. No so much from shooting, from everthing else we run into in life like family and work. Going day in and day out for months and months wear on you mentally.

I was ready to start back into in December but I wouldn't let myself. I made myself wait. I still really haven't started yet. Doing this allows me to have that "hunger" and I can keep it going for a long time.

Flyin40

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I would have to agree with Flex. burnout is solved by having attainable goals.....

recently i was burned out on life....marriage ended etc. etc. Shooting was one of the only things that i really looked forward to. If i feel my concentration or focus slipping...I think about shooting and my next practice session. If i get tired of the same routine, i pull out a different gun, AR, 6 shooter and have gun with it.

A shotgun and a bunch of steel is always therapeutic as well.

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26 years of IPSC/USPSA shooting, and no burn out. This sport puts more demands on my time than ever before, yet I keep plugging away. In all honesty, the more I am involved in the sport, the happier I am. Shooting has always been a form of escape for me. When I am on the range, either at a match or the rare practice session, I am completely involved with what I am doing. No thoughts about what I have to do tomorrow, no darn phones ringing, no reports to write, etc., etc. Perhaps that is what helps keep me going. To borrow a line from the movie Patton "God help me I do love it so."

Gary

Edited by Gary Stevens
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I haven't shot for five months. We have a local match Sunday so I dusted off the single stack and dry fired for 10 minutes this morning. I put the gun down, then made plans to go ride a snowmobile on Sunday. Maybe I'll start shooting again in February or March, maybe April, I don't know. It seems like the longer I stay out, the less I miss the hassles of club administration.

Maybe I am just selfish, but how I wish I could just shoot for a season instead of maintaining the range, building and maintaining props, setting up, keeping stats... Having said all of that, as soon as I am ready I'll be back with a passion, go like a house on fire, melt down, and repeat the process. wacko: Hmmm, maybe if I had a realistic, achievable goal for our club and a plan to get us there?? Gee Flex, you aren't just talking about shooting are you?

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I have been shooting IPCS for about 15 years. IDPA for 2 years. 3-gun and mutli-gun for 3 years . Still love it. I am always switching from open to limited , limited 10, production. Helps me keep it real. Most of the shooters I shoot with help keep things very positive. I try to stay away for people the take it to serious. (I have seen to many good people come and go) . All of us want to win . But what do we win? Money ? Fame? I think that when people burn out it is the next step to move on to the next thing that trips there trigger. Golf, racing, biking, whatever. I have seen it happen in other sports. My 2 cents worth.

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