When professors begin to resent being bothered by their students, advisees, or other clients, they are headed for real trouble. Professors cannot allow themselves to write off the very people they are trained to serve. In other instances the people who are affected feel overworked. They sometimes feel that they are not able to complete their responsibilities as well as they would like. There is a loss of zest.
People begin to dread going to the office.
Others find themselves counting the days until Friday or the end of the term, and still others begin to anxiously await retirement. Still others become so repetitive in their work that they become bored with much of what they do. Whatever the symptoms, their presence indicates the need for self renewal. Gardner reminds people that in order for there to be renewal there must be growth as well as decay. Renewal is the process of bringing results of change into line with our purposes.