We are currently living in a so-called "limitless" era. We are constantly being bombarded with anthems advocating that the hustle and hard work can and will get you anywhere if you are willing to push yourself hard enough. If you are willing to take those risks and sacrifice what is necessary to achieve your ultimate goals.
Personally, I see a definite flaw in this message. The fault is in regards to health. The word "if" incites challenge however, as a result, many people will subconsciously sacrifice their health first to achieve what they want. We've all done it. The moment your work becomes too stressful, the first thing you do is to scratch exercise off your schedule. This is ironic because the majority of the human population have limitations regarding their health. Many would choose to keep working in order for long-term prosperity in their future instead of taking care of their body. People often don't realize that the body is in fact the ultimate tool to keeping them alive and actually allowing prosperity in the first place.
The enforcement of this ideology does not take into account the ones that cannot physically or mentally push themselves above and beyond. With or without disabilities, people will inevitably burn out and suffer the consequences of those decisions. However, I am not saying your limitations will prevent you from being successful, that your goals will now be deemed unachievable. It is important to be realistic and to understand your boundaries. Understand how far to push yourself before you have to draw the line and know that ultimately, you did your very best.
Knowing this, there is another decision that is very important to highlight. I often see tumblr quotes encouraging hard work through incentives such as "Put your blood, sweat and tears into everything you have" or "Hustle 'till it hurts". What I interpret from these societal encouragements is this: health versus success.
Which one is more important? Which one are you willing to sacrifice in order to have the other?
Personally, I believe that you can have both.
It all comes down to self-discipline. Will Smith once said "self-discipline is the definition of self-love" and when I first heard this, I was confused because the word "discipline" has always had a bad connotation. However, the deeper I delved into this revelation, the more sense it made. The word "self-love" is about taking actions out of love for your own well-being and by identifying the vices in your life. Doing so will allow you to master and control your subconscious desires and prevent those urges from satisfying temptations. These temptations sound very daunting but it can be a simple as eating junk food, going out when you should be studying or trying something that you know will be damaging to your body (because you have FOMO). And all of these situations are the urges that everyone experiences on a daily basis. By disciplining yourself, you can take control to alter your thoughts and instead, coax yourself to say " I should not eat junk food right now because I will feel crappy later." or "I only have one shot at acing this test and is more important than having fun right now." or "Think about how horrible I will feel in the next couple hours.". Remember, being healthy and happy is more important than doing this for the sake of fitting in or missing out.". I know this method of "discipline" can sound more like a punishment right now but Will Smith put it well when he said,
It is important during those times of temptation to remind yourself to not do this because you love yourself too much to be the one suffering the consequences from trying to satisfy your vices.
Self-discipline is the definition of self-love
Will Smith
So back to the question, which one will you choose? I believe that if you have self-discipline, you will be able to achieve both. It is not possible to achieve ultimate success if you don't keep yourself healthy, because one day your body will not be able to keep up with your mind and you will eventually burn out. It is essential to remember this right from the get-go because I have seen several friends and family remain reckless with their health which resulted in fatal bodily incidents due to stress, lack of sleep or alcohol. Your mind and body both need a balance in order for you to have a healthy mindset towards your goals.
Sometimes, when you are clouded by your dreams, health, friends, and family can become irrelevant. The moment you think those dreams come before them, that would be a good time for you to re-evaluate your goals. Don't take the people in your life for granted because trust me, you can become the most successful person in the world, but without those values beside you, you will also become the loneliest person in the world. And that feeling, in my opinion, is the worst feeling one could ever experience.
Don't take your health for granted. It's cliché but there's a reason why it's said so often. I had always taken my health for granted and it wasn't until I had to fight through my own turmoil, did I realize how much my health affects my efficiency and happiness. Also, taking the effort to understand the different types of physical and mental sicknesses out there will prevent ignorance and jealousy and instead, bring a sense of gratitude and compassion.
On the other hand, right now you may be sick or not entirely healthy but you can 1000% be just as successful. Despite your condition, remind yourself to not compare your own problems with your neighbors because it will only waste your energy on jealousy, frustration and self-pity. Instead, spend your time and energy finding your boundaries, working the hardest you can and disciplining your life.
Having these work ethics present will reify a road map that will lead you to a path sturdy enough for both the riches of your goals and health with a body that will be able to keep up and enjoy the hustle 'till the end of the road.