3 Things I Learned From Burning Out

In the early 2000s, psychologists Dorthe Berntsen and David Rubin conducted a study in which participants were asked to write down the most important events that are likely to happen in one's lifetime. Predictably, some of the most common moments were marriage, having children, going to college, falling in love, and the death of a parent or loved one. 

It's easy to see how those transitional moments can define someone's life. When you get married, lose someone, or have children, you move from one identity to another instantly. You were single, and suddenly you're married. You were a high school graduate, and now you're a college student. You were childless, and now a little person is calling you mommy or daddy. 

But big transitional moments aren't the only moments that define us. There are smaller moments of insight that can transform our understanding of ourselves and the world around us. Oprah calls these events "aha moments" because they feel like something rewired our brains. What w…