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A mentor's 8-word phrase saved this employee from burnout and 'saved his career'

"A lot of us early in our careers say 'yes' to everything."

Image via Canva/pixelshot

Man shares 8-word phrase that he learned from mentor to avoid burnout and be a better professional.

Burnout is a real struggle among American workers. According to a 2025 study released by Moodle, 66% of Americans reported feeling burnout from their jobs. And in another 2025 workplace poll conducted by the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), workers reported high rates of “burnout,” “stress,” and “overwhelm.”

To help others, a man struggling with burnout in his career shared in a since deleted Reddit post how his mentor taught him a simple phrase to use with his boss to better manage expectations while seemingly helping him appear more professional.

"A lot of us early in our careers say yes to everything. That’s how you burn out fast," he wrote, before sharing that a mentor taught him an eight-word phrase that helped save his career: "I can do it, but not by then."

burnout, feeling burned out, burned out, stressed, exhausted Tired TV Land GIF by TV Land Classic Giphy

He went on to explain, "Instead of: 'I can’t take this on', say: 'I can take this on, but realistically it’ll be done by [X date].' This does three things: Shows you’re willing, not lazy. Sets realistic boundaries without burning bridges. Teaches others to respect your time."

The employee concluded, "The irony? You’ll usually be seen as more professional — not less — because you’re managing expectations instead of dropping the ball."

The advice resonated with many other workers, who also shared how they manage their boss' expectations of them.

"So true," one commented. "Setting expectations early and offering a realistic alternative saves so much headache down the road."

@melrobbins

This is why you feel so burnt out and tired... Thank you @Jay Shetty for having me on this episode of @On Purpose Podcast! #melrobbins #letthemtheory #boundaries #ownyourdecisions

Another shared, "I've been doing this more and more, after working my role for a few years I have a decent understanding of a manageable workload with consideration of having stuff thrown on my lap or having time for training. Kind of funny because I'll say 'I can get it done but not this week, maybe next week or the one after that.'"

They added that this can help take pressure off you. "Suddenly this places accountability on my supervisor to even do a little work by looking further into it, due dates, priority and it will turn into nothing of importance or they'll find a coworker that actually has nothing else going on to delegate it to or end up doing it themselves (because they probably had nothing going on anyway)," they explained. "I always tell them to let me know if I can still assist. Just consider how to set boundaries that work for you and how to present those boundaries to be for the company's benefit."

boundary, boundaries, healthy boundaries, implementing boundaries, boundary work Paramount Network Kelly GIF by Yellowstone Giphy

How to use it

To help others implement the phrase, another employee shared the best way to use this advice in a conversation with your boss: "'I see you're asking for X, Y and Z. Realistically we can accomplish X and Y in that timeframe. How about we take a phased approach to this project? X and Y can be Phase 1 and get out on time, and we'll consider Z Phase 2 to be completed after the discussed date.'"

The user noted that this has never failed them. "Phased approaches work almost every single time for me," they added. "It lets the person you're working with know that you deem all parts of the projects acceptable and important, but also gives them the chance to meet you half way, while eventually getting exactly what they wanted."

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Woman shares her $37.90/hr wage working at Costco and people are rethinking their choices

"So getting a college degree is a scam?"

Canva Photos & Open Grid Scheduler/Flickr

A woman shares her stunning Costco paycheck and has users rethinking their biases.

Some misconceptions just won't die. One of the biggest is that retail and fast food jobs don't constitute real "careers," and are temporary dead-ends meant only for teens or seniors. Let's face it: There's a stigma against what are viewed as lower-level jobs, so much so that working fast food is often used as a PR stunt by politicians to show how "normal" they are or a punishment for criminals.

It really doesn't have to be this way. Imagine a world where an entry-level retail job could turn into a real career, steadily rewarding loyal employees with more and better pay, strong benefits, and advancement opportunities. Imagine if you could get on-the-job training and new certifications that would help you move up the ladder and earn even more money, all with the support of your company. Shouldn't working hard at a job, any real job, give you the right to a pretty good and comfortable life? Is that so crazy?

making money, employment, working, costco job, work Season 2 Money GIF by Sony Pictures Television Giphy

Well, it's not common, but one woman's story shows us that it is possible.

A woman has gone viral on TikTok for sharing exactly how much she earns as a loyal employee at Costco and people can't believe their eyes.

The young woman, who goes by Joce on social media, shared a video breaking down how her pay has changed over the years she's worked at the bulk-retail giant.

According to the video, she was hired in 2018 at a meager but respectable $14 per hour. In one video she jokes she always said it was "just a summer job."

But she stuck around for seven years and counting, and it's not hard to see why. Steady raises each year brought her to a whopping $37.90 in 2025.

This number doesn't even account for Costco's twice-a-year bonuses, benefits, and time-and-a-half pay on Sundays, and would put Joce at just under $80,000 per year assuming a full-time schedule. Not bad for a "summer job."


@thelifeofjoce

loyalty really paid off #costco #paytransparency

Nearly 11 million people watched the video. Commenters were in shock that someone could make so much at a so-called dead-end retail job.

In particular, people who'd spent a lot of time (and money) on advanced degrees just to be struggling with debt and burnt out in their careers were absolutely shook by the revelation:

"just looked at my masters degree and sighed" one user joked.

"Does Costco need nurses" quipped another.

"THIS is why I left teaching after 8 years with a masters degree and never looked back" someone said.

"So getting a college degree is a scam" another person added.

costco, working at costco, good wages, work, employment People are enthusiastic about working at Costco. Giphy

Others shared their own stories from their lives or from people they knew:

"True story.. RN working with me full time and keeping her part time work at Costco since she got paid same or maybe little more. eventually she went back fulltime working for Costco."

"I had a friend who worked [there] over 20 years, her 401K, was set for life. Costco employees, stay forever. Their pictures on the wall. They treat employees great"

While impressive, $37.90 per hour doesn't quite tell the full story. No, the full story is even cooler.

Joce breaks down her pay even further in another video, explaining that she's able to make so much at Costco because she moved into the optics department and became a licensed optician.

In addition to her base rate of $31.90, Joce gets a premium added to her wages. Certain specialist positions get premium pay and some store locations offer additional premiums as well. She also makes $56.85 per hour on Sundays, making for some pretty beefy paychecks.

But lest you think that Joce's optician's license should take away from her success story, think again! In responses to comments on her videos, she explains that Costco helped support her as she worked to get certified as she had no prior experience or training:

"It’s all on the job training and they give you time to study while working!" she writes. "They give you 3 months to study for the first exam (ABO), then up to a year or so to pass the second one (NCLE) to get fully licensed"


@thelifeofjoce

cleared up the confusion and my astigmatism #newglasses #costco #faq

From a young age, many of us are fed the belief that we need to spend four years in college and take on crippling debt just so we can get a degree and give ourselves a shot at a proper "grown up" job.

You know, like an engineer, doctor, generic business-person. These are the careers you're supposed to aspire to have. But there's no guarantee that achieving that dream is going to make you happy just because it's considered respectable.

Over 42 million Americans have student loan debt and the average comes out to just under $40,000. For many, it's impossible to pay off, which can be especially grueling when you find out the career you were chasing isn't as fulfilling or well-paying as you thought it would be.

It doesn't have to be this way. People like Joce are proving that there are other paths to success, and she's not alone. More and more of Gen Z is turning to "blue collar" work because it's viewed as more balanced and stable. If more companies would take care of their employees and pay a fair, living wage the way Costco does, people would have a lot more options.

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Bartender shares her $9.28 paycheck to remind everyone why tipping culture is broken

The tipped minimum wage hasn't changed in 30 years.

via Aaliyah Cortez / TikTok
Bartender shares her $9.28 paycheck to remind everyone why tipping is so important

More and more people are getting fed up with tipping culture and "tip creep" in the United States. The COVID-19 pandemic severely disrupted the service industry and now almost everyone is paying the price; being asked to tip at self-checkouts, vending machines, and for drive-through or carry out food orders. Often times, the "suggested tips" begin at 20% and only go up from there. Tipping was meant to be a generosity for great service, not a necessity for business owners to be able to pay their workers.

That frustration, along with overall higher prices of... well, everything, has led to a noticeable decrease in overall tipping. People are annoyed and closing up their wallets. But until the culture and laws change, it's service workers who are the ones really getting hurt.

A server in Texas recently shared some personal information on TikTok to remind everyone why it's so important to tip those who serve us our meals, drinks, and cut our hair.

In 2020, Aaliyah Cortez filmed a video of her paycheck where she shows that although she worked 70.80 hours during a pay period, she only received a check for $9.28.

"So this is why you should always tip your bartenders and servers, anyone who waits on you, or provides a service for you," she said.

@f.aa.ded

PSA #psa #fyp #foryou #bartender #server #work #tips #chooseone #CleanFreshHype #photography101 #hardwork #viral

The video shows that even though she was paid the criminally low federal minimum tipped wage of $2.13, the money she received in her check was further reduced by taxes, social security, and Medicare payments.

"Of course, I got tips, but this is what I got for my hourly," Cortez said. "This is why you tip."

The rules for wages in tipped industries vary across the country. Texas is among the 16 states where the state minimum cash wage payment is the same as that required under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act ($2.13/hr.).

Now, if a server making $2.13 an hour doesn't reach the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour with tips, then their employer must make up the difference. Which, to be clear, is still horrendous and does not constitute a living wage. According to the MIT Living Wage Calculator, a single person with no children would need to earn $21.82 per hour to afford basic cost of living expenses in Texas.

tips, tipping culture, service workers, waiters, bartenders, barbers, economy, money, jobs, culture What consumers see everywhere we go. Giphy

The calculator also indicates a "poverty wage," which is $7.52 — just a few centers higher than the minimum wage.

The best state to work in for tipped wages is Washington where the minimum wage is $16.66, with no separate wage for tipped employees.

In a follow-up video, Cortez further discussed the issue, noting that she doesn't agree with "state laws that allow restaurants to pay under minimum wage and expect the customer to pay our wages," she said.

"I make great money in tips, she added, "However, this is not the case for all service industry workers." According to Cortez, people aren't always that generous with their tips, even though their "state is expecting them to tip."

@f.aa.ded

WATCH MY LAST VID #psa #fyp #foryou #bartender #server #work #tips #hardwork #viral #serverlife #bartenderlife

Cortez's video is a great reminder of two things:

First, that we should all be mindful to take care of those who serve us by giving them a decent tip. If you don't want to leave a tip for the cashier at the grocery store or the ticket-taker at the movies, who should all be earning at least $7.25 per hour, that's understandable.

Save it up and give it to the people who really rely on it for their income.

Secondly, Cortez's video is five years old but just as relevant as ever. It's still strong proof that the U.S. needs to address the issue of the tipped minimum wage because it hasn't changed in 30 years.

"Since 1991, the federal tipped minimum wage has been frozen at $2.13 an hour," gender economist Katica Rot told NBC. "Meanwhile, the non-tipped federal minimum wage has risen 70.6% and consumer prices have gone up 90.24%."

In fact, tipped employees are twice as likely (and servers three times as likely) to live in poverty than non-tipped workers.

Women bear the biggest burden of the tipped minimum wage. They represent 70% of all workers in tip-dependent occupations.

In recent years, Congress has rejected attempts to raise the federal minimum wage to $15/hour, even though most Americans support it. That fight, however, is far from over.

In the meantime, it means the average person needs to step up and do their part to help out as much as possible. But it's impossible to ignore the systemic nature of the issue at hand. And until business owners are required by law to pay their workers a living wage, no amount of spinning iPads and "suggested tips" will fix anything.

This article originally appeared four years ago. It has been updated.


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