Burnt Out

[Steve Moneypenny]

Awesome Responses, I have found that not touching a gun for a while is a great idea. and many times if you can take your mind of of shooting for a while is even more important, clearing your head can greatly lessen the stress of burnout.

[spook]

I thought of something I told myself to remember

The fear of not touching a gun for a while is the fear of losing. Winning and shooting are two different goals/hobbies...

Maybe you're just fed up with shooting for now, but you still want to win/see improvement...

[Clay1]

It's nice to know that I am not alone. I sucked at the state shoot at the end of July and just needed a break. I took off the months of Aug and Sept. This past weekend I shot 600 rounds at a Stressfire class that had very little to do with competitive shooting, but it was fun pulling the trigger. I'm recharged and ready to run a league at the local club. I just volunteered for an 8 week league. The break was good for my mind. I have another hobby and just refocused on that for a couple of months. Ready to start pulling the trigger again.

Rick

[TriggerT]

Like Clay1 said, it is nice to know I am not alone. I shot this past weekend, but was basically apathetic about it. Ever since the Nationals, I haven't been all that interested in shooting. I still go, help out, and usually do OK, but I am not excited about it, and I feel I mainly go to see the people, not to pull the trigger.

[boo radley]

<edit> -- I think all that long-winded junk below really means, "Are you experiencing burn out of the 'another Monday morning in the office' variety? Or is it the other kind -- the goals, rewards, effort, thing."

Once you decide which, then you can decide how to cure.

</edit>

I think this is a pretty fascinating subject. While I'm new enough to practical shooting, I'm anything BUT burnt out, in other pursuits in life I've certainly experienced it, and found it fatal in some cases, to the enterprise.

IM(very)HO, the root of burn-out is a disconnect between effort and reward. Maybe I'm stating the obvious. Not being "fun" anymore isn't always sufficient for burn-out. I also think there are two different sorts of "burn out."

I suspect most of us have periods -- maybe even most of the time -- in which our jobs aren't fun, but we literally can't afford to be burnt-out, or when we are, we take vacations, etc. We put up with the effort, because of the reward. My suspicion is that when most pro shooters, golfers, atheletes, etc, talk about burn-out they're on the same page as those of us heading into work on the daily commute....

What I'm less certain of is how burning-out along the way to the career or goal is addressed. I guess one has to be *convinced* that there will be a ultimate reward, and for most of us there won't be -- at least not a reward we find precious eough, and deep down inside, our subconcious has made the decision for us, and that disconnect breeds unhappiness and DOES make shooting "no longer fun."

OTOH, if the reward continues to be something that can be appreciated and embraced -- different story. Shooting's fun. Can't wait to get out, and try to whip so-and-so, or see some friends from another state, or -- whatever.

I can empathize with you on one level -- my wife could care less about shooting, and none of my friends are involved in the sport, so at some levels it *is* a solitary pursuit, and that's a burden that shouldn't be minimized. It's a lot more fun to shoot and practice and compete against/with friends. That alone may be enough reward to prevent burn-out. Otherwise, I guess you have to find something else, and if that isn't sufficient, take a break. When you return, maybe THEN you'll find, or at least see clearly, a reward that makes the effort insubstantial.

My ramblings only. I'd love to hear from some of the GM's what inspired them to keep shooting when at times the effort required to practice must have seemed incredibly discouraging....

Edited October 4, 2005 by boo radley

[Rikarin]

Geez, I wasn't sure if I wanna hang out here but can't ignore those intelligent, insightful posts!

It all made me think.... as Spook said, yes, I want to win. I want to do good. So, bit different than "i can't care less." And Boo is quite insightful. shooting just ain't rewarding anymore.

I started to suspect shooting might not be something for me. When I look into myself and see what makes me most happy is something like holding my cat and when she licks my finger. Writing/creating smething. Or finishing a great article and so satisfied and impressed by its perfection. Or best yet, rewarding my cat after he does fetch (yeah, he is good at that) and bring back a toy so proundly. The connection with other beautiful souls. Creation of beautful things.

And further, I am just not up to the efforts people put to get better. I know my tasks now are to speed up draw and reload, and solidify index. I'm talking about hours and hours of dry practice. Oh so boring!

Then there's bigger question. I am nothing but a dust in this universe. Suppose I win Nationals. From universal point of view its nothing but "so what?"

When I started, it was so rewarding. Everybody was so suprised this small woman kicking ass. But now everybody (including me) gets oeve with it, expectation has changed. I'm C class and sometimes shoot B class score but that doesn't make me as happy as when I became C class. Strange isn't it?

I bet if I have a shooting buddy, I'd feel so much better. When you share happiness, twice as more and when you share burden, half the less! I am envious of girls come shoot with her husbands..... (that mean Lori, you! I wish SigLady or Snpier lives in Norhern CA.

[carinab]

Hours of dry practice....Repetitive? Yes....Boring, No.... With focused attention, correction, with proper awareness, I notice things about my draw or my reload, etc. which allows me to make minor corrections. Once I find a groove, I make it a game, How many can I do in a row? I don't move on to a different drill until I nail at least 10 in a row perfectly (or to the best I can at that moment as not all days are stellar days). That teaches me performance under pressure and how to let go. To do instead of think. All that dry fire makes it more likely that when the buzzer goes off, I'll hit that zone where everything happens in slow motion and I can see it all happen. And that state is addictive. That, to me, is the reward for dry fire...the payoff. There are days where I don't dry fire but I still visualize when my head hits the pillow. Every match I've gone to I've shot a least a half dozen times in my head afterwards.

It sounds like maybe you need a new goal. A large one - like overall improvement to get up to B class (which is really a lot of small goals - like improving the draw, reloads, etc). And maybe a bit of hunger too. It's not easy to force an appetite. That's when it's helpful to take an inventory. It's funny, I don't improve unless I'm unhappy with some piece of my skill set...and I always think I could do something better when I really look.

Edited October 6, 2005 by carinab

[BritinUSA]

Then there's bigger question.  I am nothing but a dust in this universe.  Suppose I win Nationals.  From universal point of view its nothing but "so what?" 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

There's a school of thought that suggests the likelihood of intelligent life existing anywhere else in the universe is practically zero. You are the only Rika in the universe, be all you can be, you're special. We all are...

[Sharyn]

Dust in the Universe?... why are we here? What's the meaning of life?... oh my.

Rika, it's all about perspective. Change your perspective and everything will change around it.

I bet if I have a shooting buddy, I'd feel so much better. When you share happiness, twice as more and when you share burden, half the less! I am envious of girls come shoot with her husbands.....

Have you mentioned this to Matt Burkett??? HA HA HA!!! I've whined to him about the same thing a million times... poor guy.

I was born and raised in California... got to Texas as fast as I could. *whew* You're welcome to shoot here in Houston, but no way in hell I'm going back to CA, sorry.

Buck up lil camper.

Yeah Paul, you're speshul alright.

[BritinUSA]

Yeah Paul, you're speshul alright. 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Everyone else just thinks I'm weird... I've no idea why ...

[kimel]

There are many reasons to shoot. There are many reasons to be competitive. Which of these reasons are really important to you are things you have to decide for yourself.

I shoot because it is a skill that I have literally worked on for over 37 years in one way or another. I pulled my first real trigger when I was 5 and I haven't stopped pulling triggers since. It brings me pleasure because it is something I can do well...most of the time.

Competitive shooting is something I did in Jr. High (NRA Smallbore rifle) and didn't touch again until a few years ago when I got into USPSA. It is a reason to shoot.

You can compete with others or just with yourself. I personally find competing with myself to be a more gratifying form of competition than competing with everyone else. Oddly enough, I find that when I am focussed on being better than I was last time I often am also beating a lot of other people. It helps me focus on "my game". That works for me, it may not work for you.

You can also compete to put hardware on the shelf/wall and trophy guns in the safe if that is what you are in to. I enjoy hardware but don't have much of it to show and I don't really care. It isn't why I shoot.

Actually, my favorite reason to compete is the people. No, not competing with these people. Just the social aspects of competitive shooting. I work in a high stress, politically charged environment (you didn't know Universities were like that, did you?) and constantly have to be "on". With my shooting buddies I can just kick back and relax and be myself. I can be Kevin. The old saying "I came for the shooting but stayed for the people" definately fits.

Yes, shooting with someone would be nice. My wife doesn't shoot. She has come out to matches once or twice but is largely bored with the whole thing. She wasn't raised around guns so they aren't something she is interested in all that much.

There is no rule in the book that says you have to win to have fun shooting competitively. But there is a rule (unwritten) that says you must have fun in your life to win.

If what you are doing is not fun either find a way to make it fun or stop doing it. Like CarinaB said...turn boring practice into a game. Make it fun. Put rewards in it. Knock a tenth of a second off the draw and you get ice cream. Whatever it takes.

Your life is only a speck of dust in the infinite cosmos if you let it be just a speck of dust.

Winning nationals or not means nothing to the infinite cosmos...that is true. If every shooter that shot competitively said "I have to win nationals or my life is wasted" there would be precious few shooters out there whose lives are fulfilled.

Being a competitive shooter is one thing that I do, it is not who I am. Those who allow themselves to become defined by a single aspect of their lives are one dimensional, they are without form or substance. They are unbalanced. And they generally find that they are unable to excel within that one dimensional universe which they have created for themselves.

Don't set unreasonable goals. I must win Nationals in 2006 is only a reasonable goal for a very, very few people. TGO, TJ, Matt, Dave, Phil, Julie, Kay, Jerry, etc. can set that goal. The rest of us really need to set more reasonable goals. Top 20 in your division and class at you Area match...there is a goal that a whole lot more people can set for themselves and have a reasonable chance of obtaining. Once you have met that goal, set the bar up a bit higher.

But no matter what...you are not an insignificant speck of dust in the Benosverse.

[schoonie]

Rika,

You are right about shooting with a friend, it enhances the experience, amplifies the fun during good times, and helps overcome the bad times (or the boring dry fire sessions). Best of luck and remember that this is just a hobby that most of us do for the fun of it. Some one said that, "it's the journey that's important, not destination".

[GuildSF4]

having mulfunction on qualifier stages for months!

Malfunction is fixed now (changed recoil spring and bumped up PF) but I guess repeated disappointment for half year really striked me down. 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I can definitely sympathize with this... When my gun was not running right for several months it really made me not want to shoot. I was mostly going as a social activity. Finally fixing the gun helped that a lot, and a new open gun (due to old eyes) helped cure the burnout for me.

[Rikarin]

Have you mentioned this to Matt Burkett???  HA HA HA!!!  I've whined to him about the same thing a million times... poor guy. 

Aaah, so I am not alone on this. Millon times? I feel same way too! Its just not fair. Like she sits on chair and he load her ammo and stuff. I'm like a so want to shoot better than her because I'm so jealous..... Hey how about that! Now I feel motivated

But you know what.... I have virtual shooting family here, don't I? I used to embarassed to whine and to have needs to share. So typical woman. I was ready to duck when someone would say "do you want chease with that?" but no one has said that. You are all so nice.

[XRe]

I was ready to duck when someone would say "do you want chease with that?" but no one has said that. You are all so nice.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Do you want cheese w/ that whine, ma'am??

Or, should I call the Waaaahmbulance???

heh heh... hope you at least giggled a little bit...

[Sam]

When I look into myself and see what makes me most happy is something like holding my cat and when she licks my finger. Writing/creating smething. Or finishing a great article and so satisfied and impressed by its perfection. Or best yet, rewarding my cat after he does fetch (yeah, he is good at that) and bring back a toy so proundly. The connection with other beautiful souls. Creation of beautful things.

Riki, if it was all just about improving our shooting, it would grow stale pretty fast.

Anyone who is as gifted as you are, (who am i to argure with Matt B?) has a greater purpose to fulfill in this sport than just winning matches.

USPSA needs women and it needs young people. This sport isn't as much about shooting as it is a demonstration of freedom and responsibility to our society. Maybe you have been gifted so that you can be a mentor? Or possibly just a supportive friend. I hope the "other beautiful souls" will provide the motivation you need to stay with us.

[Flexmoney]

Nicely put, Sam.

[Icchan]

Then there's bigger question.  I am nothing but a dust in this universe.  Suppose I win Nationals.  From universal point of view its nothing but "so what?" 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

You may be a mote as far as the universe cares, however I've noticed that crusty old bag don't give a hoot about anyone. We're all motes in the universe's eyes, we have to get our recgnition from the folks around us.

I bet if I have a shooting buddy, I'd feel so much better. When you share happiness, twice as more and when you share burden, half the less!  I am envious of girls come shoot with her husbands..... (that mean Lori, you!   I wish SigLady or Snpier lives in Norhern CA.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Got it right on the nose, there....If I were up in NoCal I'd be happy to join you and even bring ammo, but in this case you've got to head to Vegas. Should you be willing, I'll trade ammo or dinner for shooting lessons; at least once I get a real gun built...and two working hands, reloading is a pain! Oh, for belt fed comp guns.

Seriously, though, do what you love - shooting, writing, drawing, or just enjoying your cat - because you love it, and find people to share it with. Perhaps even finding someone up there to teach, someone new, will bring back all your own feelings and joys when you were new. It'd be worth a try, and at least you'll have that shooting buddy.

In the meantime, even if you take a break from shooting, don't leave us....looking at these posts, enough folks love you and would miss you if you were gone. And in the end...it's the people in our lives that matter most, isn't it?

the two-bit psychologist is [out]

[Catfish]

I'm so sorry you're feeling burnt out!

I will tell you what keeps me from burning out, and what keeps me in this game and maybe you can draw something from that.

Shooting is my art form.

I can't paint. I can barely write, surely I can't dance. But shooting I can do.

It's so simple to do right, but we make it so hard.

A perfect stage for you, at whatever level you are shooting at is the most beautiful thing in the world.

The perfect draw, watching the slide cycle back and forth and the brass eject, moving effortlessly through the stage, sticking the reload and hammering the finish. Does it really get any better than that?

It doesn't happen every time for me, hell, it probably doesn't happen 25% the time. But when it happens, it makes all of those late night practice sessions when all I want to do is watch TV and vegitate on the couch drinking Dr Pepper and eating cheetos worth it. It makes the callouses on my hands worth it, and it makes the hours spent reloading worth it. It makes me hungry to do it again.

If you're to the point where it's not fun, then like others have said, back off, take a break, shoot a different gun, drink beer and relax. If you're like the bulk of the folks on this list, you'll be missing it before long and you'll come back with renewed vigor and excitment for the game.

I hope this helps in some small way, but in my opinion, it really is worth it.

Derrick

[Rikarin]

This just in!

Rika is sighted at Chabot IPSC match today:)

Yes, Just reading this thread with so many people sharing and encouraging me, it made me feel I am not alone and when this many people care about me, I felt bit selfish complaining about it. Also, taking ya'all's advice, I came up ways to incorporate shooting and what makes me happy.

1) to have a sarrogate shooting grandpa. I asked a really good shooter friend of mine to be the one His job is to be happy for me no matter how I shoot and gives me pointers here and there. I can report both my progress and regress, and share my "yay!" moments and "I suck" whines.

2) to have a shooting children. I never thought about teaching since I am just C class. But, I can do TA. James Saburomaru has told me he does intro IPSC class and I can help him teach. Prospect of teaching made me needed and it's a good feeling.

Therefore, I dragged my ass over today even though I was like "ah, same old boring stuff" and ended up having fun. Because, Jesse, Alton and Merwin heard me and decided to take matter into thier hands and volunteered to be my sarrogate husbands:)! Picking up my brass, showing me the way to shoot and keeping me company. I felt so cared beyond imagination and it lifted alot of pressure off of me. What a big difference! Whoa, I actually enjoyed being at the range!

But, I couldn't get the mojo back so soon:( I wasn't even watching the sights. Many misses but didn't care at all. I didn't care the score enough, I decided to hose down the last stage. Like video game, just let your body carry you even your eyes are saying "no-no, not yet!"

Haahaha, geez, I had like 4 Mikes on further targets but strange thing is, I actually hit quite well on nearer targets. It was a pleasant surprise. Even thought I wasn't paying attention,I can score points!

Then I realized, I sure was pushing myself too much. Every match I go, I beat up myself if I had Ds or Miss and analyzing why it happen so that I don't make same mistakes.

I guess I will be hoser for a while. Who knows I might actually learn something. And most of all, so many thanks to all of you, who has give me tips, encouragement, laugter, your experiences and thoughts. This thread will be my own personal sticky and I will come back to again and again when I am bummed

:)

[Icchan]

Attagirl, Rika-chan! Glad you found something fun, and you gave me a good idea - doubletap everything, in a "hose" stage. With a big backstop it sounds ike it['d be fun, and hilarious to count how manyt rounds I;d even get on-paper (let alone in the zone).

Still, enjoy yourself and have fun! Now if only you could teach your cat to shoot...

[Sharyn]

  Its just not fair. Like she sits on chair and he load her ammo and stuff.

Those beotches! Hmmphff!

[Nemo]

Rika,

But shooting is completely different. It takes alot out from me and got tired from it doing it alone.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

You are not alone! There are many other ladies out there fighting the same battle, and here you have the support of some of the best of them: Charlene, Sharyn, Carina, Kathy and Renee, among others.

You've been given many good pieces of advise. Aren't these people the best? Right now it is my sons what keeps me shooting. I needed the new motivation. Coming this Saturday I join the revolver world. Really looking forward to it and I know it will make my hours in front of the presses and early get ups on the weekends interesting again. Change is good.

And please don't ever again say

Sometimes I hate to be me being tomboy.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Here you are a WARRIOR PRINCESS! (do a search)

Be well!

[John Heiter]

My personal two cents...get involved in other aspects of shooting other than just the shooting. It's amazing how much satisfaction you can derive from helping to put on a good match or seeing your local club grow if you feel that you had some part in it. It's rewarding and it gives you a reason to come out and shoot even when you're in a shooting slump. It probably won't work for everybody but me personally, I probably would have been burned out on the shooting a long time ago if it weren't for the people.

[reneet]

I can't paint.  I can barely write, surely I can't dance.  But shooting I can do.

If you're to the point where it's not fun, then like others have said, back off, take a break, shoot a different gun, drink beer and relax.  If you're like the bulk of the folks on this list, you'll be missing it before long and you'll come back with renewed vigor and excitment for the game.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Just shooting all the time got old for me a long time ago. About 18 months ago, I started learning to dance (Waltz, Cha Cha, West Coast Swing, etc.). When I 1st began dancing, it was just like when I 1st started shooting. I wanted to know how to do everything flawlessly right away. Towards that goal, I practiced alot.

Tomorrow, my 1st official dance competition. It's a great way to cross train. There are so many similarities that it boggles my mind. example - Smooth is fast (if a spin is done with proper technique, without trying to muscle it, etc. it's blindingly fast, feels effortless and is awesome to watch).

If it weren't for finding something else I enjoy doing, I would have started cutting back my shooting schedule. Instead, I'm now having a blast doing both.