Sometimes we expect too much from ourselves and this causes
us to be stretched. We go beyond our elastic limit and sometimes, we even get
to the breaking point. It is at that point that we realise we’ve pushed
ourselves too far.
If you’ve been around workaholics, you’ll know what
I’m talking about. Some people work round the clock without having time for
themselves and their families. We are so keen on making
ends meet, getting so much done all at once and making money. While doing this, we sometimes
neglect people and things that really matter.
“Good, better, best, I shall never rest…until my good is
better and my better best”. I guess you’ve heard this before. I remember those
times we used to sing this song on assembly ground in primary school. I also
remember my principal in secondary school used to tell us “hard work doesn’t
kill, it strengthens”. Yes, it does. Well…maybe hard work doesn’t kill, but
stress can.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying it’s bad to set targets
for ourselves and work hard to achieve our goals. That is a very beautiful
thing. I’m just saying that once in a while, we need to ease the tension and
relax. Because in the end, we get to bear whatever happens (whether good or
bad).
What happened to me some days ago is just an example of what
I’m talking about. For like one-quarter of the day, I had headache. The bad
part was even though my head was aching; I ignored it and continued what I was
doing without even eating. I didn’t stop what I was doing until I got to my
elastic limit and I knew I had to stop to rest a bit.
Taking this situation back to school, I remember it has
happened at different times. The funny but true fact is that the courses I took
so serious and got so worried about were the ones I ended up having poor marks
in even though others had A’s.
The bottom line is, in as much as we want to achieve some
great things, we shouldn’t take things too hard on ourselves. We shouldn’t let
our thirst for success cause us to lose our real selves. If we are not getting
the results we want at the moment, we probably just need to take some time off,
pray, reflect on these things and try to see the way forward.
I’m learning this and trying to always keep it at the back
of my mind. I think you should too.
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