Know Your Limit

Too often that our surroundings fill us with the notion of achieving as many goals and dreams before "time runs out". Too often that our environment enforce the idea of reaching beyond the stars or else, life would be nothing but a pointless journey. Too often that our parents, teachers and even motivational strangers would encourage us to sacrifice fun and live prosperously.

Amidst these notions and 'encouragement', we blindly charge ahead, believing more is better in a world of consumption. We thrive at the idea of living large while pity or scorn those who are happy and satisfied with a not-so-high income. In our mind, all we ever know is to achieve your goals and aim for the top prize. To put it in simple terms, we simply want to win.

In contrast, I'm not implying that we should not have goal. As a matter of fact, it is essential that we set a few goals in our life so that we won't walk astray and aimless, especially in this doggy dog world that we unavoidably live in.

Problem arises when we set no boundaries for ourselves and persist in striving for more when our shoulders could not bear the weight anymore. Consequently, we find our wallowing in tears and stress, not knowing where all these pressures are coming from. As we are so caught up with achievement, we punish ourselves with self loathing when we do not push for the extra mile.

Unfortunately, not all of us realize the origins of our tensions. Comfort are, instead found in the form of pills and therapy. In my life experience, I trapped myself in this awful notion once. Being one of best in class was all that occupied my mind. My soul was a competitive one but at the cost of someone else's endeavour. In the end, a little part of me crumpled and it took a very long time to repair it. It wasn't until I realized that while goals are imperative to our social survival, it's not fatal to us if we do not succeed them.

In a nutshell, we need to understand the limits that we can impose on our body and our mind. Don't crumple up and dissolve into a messy pulp but most of all don't inflict pain on yourself.