In our quest for success we have two enemies: other companies and ourselves. They are powerful enemies but the fact is that we can eliminate one of them.
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The other companies are here to stay. There will always be some rival company which makes our life and business harder. That kind of competition is what makes us better and better. The competition is always tough, but we can accept that as a law of the nature. If it weren't for competition we'd still be on a tree, eating bananas.
In all those efforts to beat the competitors we tend to forget that we are humans and not machines. We can work hard, very hard and extremely hard, but we all have our limits. When that limit is crossed we usually take a day off, or maybe few days off, and we then return to our job. The problem here is that our body and mind remembers how often we pushed too far.
Let's say that our daily limit is 100 percent. Keeping that in mind, we should work at the 80 percent of our capacity. That way we will be productive and we will be able to work at 120 percent if it is necessary. Instead of ten hours, we will work 15 hours. Instead of 5 days a week, we will work 7 days a week. That is normal situation, normal working and normal living.
Unfortunately, too many managers push too hard. Their subordinates must work overtime every day, and their free days live only in their dreams. It stands true for all levels of employees, from top to bottom. That is the symptom of two diseases. One is called "I don't know how to organize work" and that will the topic of another article.
The second disease is called "I can!". It is a common symptom of all good workers who want to do great job, properly and on time. They are responsible persons that take their duties very seriously, no matter are they employees or founders of the company. That disease is the most dangerous of all. Such persons are pushing themselves over the limit every day.
The day is always too short, the job can always be done better, the price can be higher, the product more spectacular... The fact is, you are destroying yourself. For some time it can work like that, our body listen to our mind and we are working like beasts of burden. When the free day comes we think about job. We call company or check our e-mail. If we don't do that - we think about job.
The second phase is when we go on holiday and we need two or three days just to forget that we aren't working anymore. It is a good signal that we pushed too hard too many times. If we need several days to forget that we are not in the company that means that our vacation effectively lasts shorter. The next time we will need a day more. The next time we will need two days more. At the end, we will have a nervous breakdown.
You know, the real problem here is that we forced our selves. Not the company, not the boss, but ourselves. It is nice, wide road to breakdown that will be our last because we will never recover. That is the fact. All the adrenalin that we feel every day, and we feel it a lot, has a cumulative effect and our body suffers from day to day.
We all know that success and money are important. But we also know that a dead man can not use any money. If the heart attack caused by overwork kills you, all the money you have will not bring you to life. So, stop for a minute and ask yourself just one question: "Am I happy?" ■