About ten months ago I experienced a sudden loss of eyesight in one of my eyes. It was a shocking and unexpected event that I never expected. Upon visiting several eye doctors I finally found a specialist that was able to diagnose my illness as central serous retinopathy (CSR).

CSR is a condition where fluid builds up in the eye to the point where the retina becomes detached from the wall of the eye. This causes a very pronounced loss of eyesight. I was relieved to find out that the situation would reverse itself, leaving the eyesight in the affected eye just a little bit weaker. I was eager to find out how something like this could happen so suddenly. That’s when I got some news that made me stop and think.

The doctor informed me that the condition was related to stress, usually affecting men in their thirties with type “A” personalities who are experiencing stress in their lives. At first I didn’t think that described me, but then I though for a second. I had recently moved and gotten married. I travel with my job and I have multiple projects going on the side. I was dealing with some very stressful situations and I didn’t even realize it.

Everyday we all get up from our beds and begin hectic days. There are commuting issues, job stresses, family issues as well any number of things that add stress to our lives. Sadly, many times we fail to realize this fact. The harder we work, the more stress we’re under. Between our personal lives and professional lives it can all reach a breaking point. It certainly did for me.

This black cloud did have a silver lining though. It opened my eyes (no pun intended) to the fact that I had been pushing myself way too hard. I had forgotten to maintain a healthy balance in my life and my body sent me a message. I listened to that message and you should take action before your body sends you it’s own message.

We’re all trying to achieve many things in this life. We’re building careers, building businesses, maintaining relationships and growing families. There are a lot of pressures and expectations. At home you have to take care of your family. At work you have to take care of business so that you can earn the money to take care of your family. At times the situation can get difficult. It’s at these very times that you must keep a strong focus on what’s really important.

Trying to get it all done at once tends to be the culprit when stress has a strong impact on our lives. You want so many things and you want to get ahead so that you can make a better life for yourself. But trying to do too much too soon breaks you down and prevents you from reaching the goals that you want so badly.

When your mind and body reach their limits you will be unable to perform any longer without a period of recovery. People who constantly push themselves at work get closer to this limit everyday. The stress builds up to the point where they have high blood pressure, ulcers, digestion problems and other stress related disorders. Many people ignore these signs and are susceptible to more serious consequences like nervous breakdowns, heart attacks and strokes.

The world of business is a highly competitive place. We look at other people and want to be competitive, keep pace and even get ahead of others. That’s why people ignore the signs that indicate they are reaching a stress limit. My experience reminded me that I am in this for the long haul. It reminded me to treat my business life as a marathon, not a sprint to the finish line.

As my eye problems recovered I committed myself to a fresh outlook on my career. I reminded myself that I was human and needed to balance business pursuits with time for relaxation. My hard charging, push it to the limit personality had to go. My health and welfare had to come first. After all, I can contribute a lot more over the long haul as a healthy balanced person than I would if I was constantly fighting the limits of my mind and body.

I’ve dedicated more time to leisure pursuits such as writing and music. I’ve made it a point to keep a regular exercise regimen and I plan more regular vacations. I’ve cut back on my intake of alcohol and caffeine. I still work hard and I intend to work hard for many years to come. The difference now is that my work and my personal life are separated and balanced in a more healthy manner. This isn’t necessarily the best approach for my professional life, but you have to have a life before you can have a professional life.

I urge you to take a close look at your situation and evaluate the amount of stress that work contributes to your life. Do you frequently work very late? Do you work more than five days a week? Do you think about work most of the time when you’re at home? Do you have trouble sleeping? Do you get indigestion frequently? Does the situation at your job make you very irritable? If you answered yes to any of these questions then you may be pushing yourself to a stress limit.

My advice on this is very simple. Take stock of your situation. Consciously recognize the need for balance in your personal and professional lives. Created a defined line between your work time and personal time then respect that line. Take the time to plan for, and take a vacation a couple of times a year. Respect your body by adhering to a regular schedule of exercise. And limit your intake of stressful food items that contain alcohol, caffeine or high levels of fat.

Your newly accepted philosophy won’t make you many friends among the hard chargers that insist on continuing to push the limits. But it will insure that you’re in the game long after their wells have gone dry.