My only other story would be walking around a pillar in the cafeteria and smacking him face to face as he came around the other side. He said excuse me and moved aside!
Closure — that's actually a very good way to put it. I didn't feel burned out. Just tired and complete.
But I was very fortunate to have the means to retire. Many who experience burnout don't have that choice. Which is another reason there's such churn in this business.
As a manager, one thing I always watched for were the signs of burnout. I always said I spent way more time coaching people to pace themselves than to work harder.
I had the same thing happen to me with sports. I played soccer at a very high level (semi-pro) and although I knew I would never make the pros, I already accomplished what I set out to do. After so many years of working hard and finally getting there, you wonder what else you want to do now you've surpassed your own goals. For me, it was the same thing, I just walked away from the sport. My life as a soccer player was complete and it was time to move on.
I can already tell in 5 years, your mind will never cast doubts over your decision. Few people get to the level you were at and leave without a few doubts in their mind. Kudos to you for leaving with a clear conscious and mind.
