James Kiger, M.Ed

Do you get the winter blues? I sure do. The colder weather, the shorter days, the end of football season.... all these things are depressing thoughts. In fact, I find that my passion often takes the time to hybernate along with the bears!

I have learned over the years, my life in a year goes in rhythms. When my birthday rolls around (tomorrow) it begins a new awakening in me.... March Madness (basketball) is about to begin, the days are getting longer and warmer and something awakens inside of me. I can expect now to watch my reading level begin to rise, my new ideas begin to blossom and I get a new sense of optimism that had eluded me for about three months! It gets even better in April through June! My favorite time of year is the months of September and October and my passion is sky high, often as a result of the beginning of my other passion, West Virginia Football!

My point is... you may not be burned out. You simply may have just gone through another rhythm in your life. Don't force things that aren't there. It does me no good to write in the winter, my mind is not up to it. Instead I spend much of that time researching and reflecting. But during the spring watch out.. I am a reading and writing machine. Learn your own rhythms, schedule your growth times during those times when you are at your peak. Then, if possible, stretch those times out by one week every year. You will soon see that for at least nine months out of the year, passion won't be a problem and burnout will seem like it never happened!