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Yes, I fully agree that stress can kill. I myself personally experienced that. When I was twenty something, I worked very hard, working day and night and even on weekends in order to earn more money. When we were young we have lots more energy and did not know when to stop. I took on bigger and bigger roles and more and more assignments. I was very proactive and took on many functions to show that I am capable. I noticed some of my older colleagues who were reluctant to volunteer and even push away some extra work. I used to chide them for being lazy and bo chap.
Then after many years of such a lifestyle one day I suddenly lost partial sight in one eye. I attibuted it to stress as I always did not say no to any new assignment and my HK boss then piled me with more and more portfolios and assignments. I did all of them in record time and it kept coming till suddenly my health collapse.
So it is with Richard, I believed the stress as the CEO of DBS is tremendous, what with SS Lim chiding him for retrenching staff. Richard knows that SS is well connected and he has to tread very carefully. So after months of prolonged stress, it finally got to him.
I decided to take it easy and opt for early retirement. This is because there is no point, beyond a point, of earning more money but not having the life to spend it.
I stopped working 2 years ago and my blood pressure went back to normal. It was a lucky thing I did not take the advice of doctors who prescribed high blood pressure pills some years back, otherwise I will have to take them for life.
Come to think of it, our blood pressure rise because we are stressed, that is a normal function of our body. We then artificially suppress it with medication but the stress continues. What will happen to our bodies?
It is better to be natural and reduce the stress and everything will go back to normal then to earn money in order to buy medicine to cure ourselves.
Of course I am not saying we should all stop work, we have to see what kind of work. If it is stressful work, then we have to reduce the stress by opting for a less stressful kind of work.
Actually for most executives who have worked for decades, they should have enough savings to be in a position to stop the stress.
Hi Falcon,
Thanks for sharing. You are right. Beyond a certain financial level, the marginal contribution to happiness becomes lesser. There is only so much that money can buy.
I also personally know of a few people in their 30s who developed heart conditions.
One major contributor is no doubt the stressful industry that they work in.
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