Here’s a common (and tedious) question in
community circles; how do you prevent burnout?
This question allows people to talk about
themselves. It allows people to brag (and lie) about what they do with their
spare time.
Most participants declare they prevent
burnout by doing sports, travelling to exotic places, going to cool bars, doing
interesting hobbies, or anything that reflects positively on them.
People are desperate to impress their
peers. They love to participate in off-topic, status-jockeying, discussions.
It’s why some people tweet every run they take or every airport they visit.
They’re trying to impress their peers “Hey,
I’m healthy AND on business trips!”
However, bragging has an inverse correlation
with an individual’s self-esteem. Broadly, the more you feel compelled to brag,
the lower your likely level of self-esteem. Since those with high self-esteem
are also likely to be powerful, self-actualizing, people, you might lose valuable
contributors by catering to the bragging crowd.
It might be an easy way to facilitate
discussions, but it has long-term consequences.
