Was reading this post about high achievers. One of the rules I read for high achievers was knowing when to quit:

Know when to quit. Finally, high achievers are able to achieve so much because they know when to quit. They know when they need a break and they know when they need to step back for a week or two. High achievers understand that in order to continue achieving at such a high level, they need to take the time that they need to stay sane and mentally healthy.
Do not run yourself into the ground in the name of high achievement, cut yourself some slack from time to time.

I must say – I’ve really learned this in the last 2 months. That I work myself so hard on a daily basis, but I can tell when my body’s not in good shape – or rather, I feel myself getting sick. And I know to take a step back from it all…and relax. To simply rephrase the key point from above: “In order to continuously perform well, you need to know when to stop and rest”.

.
.
.

I love my job. I love working so hard. But it’s killing me….until I say stop and it’s not. And then I regroup and it’s back to working hard again. It’s a cycle…and no doubt, I’m working so hard because I love what I’m doing. Because I can’t wait to see where my leadership and team go. I don’t know specifically where, but like my life, it’s all about being pointed in the right direction. The journey is more important than the destination. The milestones achieved along the way are just as, if not more important than the end goal.

…end goal?

To quote Hikaru no Go’s Honda’s teacher – “The road of a pro is long, and on top of that, it has no goal. You study your whole life.”

I think I have to change my mentality – there is no end goal. No final destination. The path never ends…(’til you die…but even then your children continue your path, in a way…).
I don’t know what I want my team to be in 2 or 5 years. I’ve never known that of myself, how can I know that for 15 people? But as long as they’re pointed in the right direction…