Burnout led to leaving two high-pressure careers: investment banking at Citi and professional tennis.
-
The experience revealed the importance of recognizing limits and valuing mental health over prestige.
-
Learning when to walk away became a defining lesson for future growth and happiness.
For years, I thought that success was about pushing myself harder than everyone else. That belief took me from the tennis court to Wall Street, from competing on the pro tour to working as an investment banker at Citi. But in both arenas, I ran into the same wall: burnout. Walking away from two careers I had worked tirelessly to achieve felt like failure at the time but it turned out to be one of the most valuable lessons of my life.
My first career dream was tennis. I lived and breathed the sport, spending countless hours training, traveling, and competing. Professional tennis is glamorous on the surface, but behind the scenes it’s grueling: endless flights, physical strain, and the constant pressure to perform.
Despite early achievements, I realized that the joy I once felt was being drained by exhaustion and injuries. Tennis had become work, and I found myself burning out before I had even reached my prime. Leaving the sport was heartbreaking, but I knew deep down that continuing would have meant sacrificing my health.
With tennis behind me, I shifted to another high-intensity path: investment banking at Citi. The transition felt natural in some ways the competitiveness, the long hours, the adrenaline of high-stakes deals.
But the relentless culture of 100-hour work weeks, late-night calls, and constant deadlines soon mirrored the same burnout I had experienced in tennis. At first, I tried to power through, convincing myself that success required sacrifice. Eventually, though, I reached a breaking point.
The hardest part was admitting that I wasn’t just tired I was burned out. The warning signs were clear:
-
Feeling constantly drained no matter how much I slept.
-
Losing passion for the work I once found exciting.
-
Experiencing physical and mental health decline.
In both tennis and banking, I had ignored these signs until I could no longer continue. Leaving Citi, like leaving tennis, felt like walking away from years of investment and effort. Yet it was also an act of survival.
The biggest lesson I took from these experiences is that walking away is not weakness it’s strength. Our culture often glorifies endurance at all costs, but there is wisdom in recognizing when a situation no longer serves you.
Stepping back from both careers gave me the chance to reevaluate what I truly wanted from life. Success is not defined solely by prestige, money, or titles, but by balance, fulfillment, and sustainability.
Today, I carry those lessons into new ventures. Instead of chasing validation in high-pressure environments, I focus on creating opportunities that align with my values and support my well-being.
Burnout taught me that resilience is not just about pushing harder it’s about knowing when to stop. By walking away from tennis and banking, I opened the door to a healthier, more meaningful chapter of life.
