Chasing Success at the Expense of Your Health? Read This First
- Aug 7
- 3 min read
Let me ask you a question that might sting a bit.
What does success actually mean to you?
Not what it means to your neighbour. Not what it looks like on LinkedIn. To you.
Because around here (and let's be honest, the south-east is particularly bad for this) success has quietly become a scoreboard. How big is your house? How nice is your car? Which school do the kids go to?
Everything's status. Everything's a comparison. And I'd argue most of it doesn't really matter.
The Question Nobody Asks: What Is Enough?
Of course we all want financial security. We want our kids to be happy and comfortable. Nobody's pretending money is irrelevant.
But when does the chase stop? What's the number, the house, the job title where you go, "Right. That's it. I've made it. I'm happy now"?
Most people can't answer that. There's always another rung on the ladder. Always someone doing "better". So the finish line keeps moving, and the stress keeps building.
Here's what I've noticed after years of coaching: when you sit down and actually talk it through with people, most of them don't really want the endless climb. They're just in that mentality because it's everywhere. It's the water we swim in.
What the Chase Is Actually Costing Us
This isn't just me being philosophical. The numbers back it up.
UK workers took an average of 9.4 sick days last year, a record high, and mental ill-health is now the leading cause of long-term absence from work. Meanwhile, 83% of workers say they'd now prioritise work-life balance over salary when choosing a job.
In other words: we're burning out chasing the very thing most of us no longer rank first.
And I see the physical side of it every single week. People chasing the pay rise, the promotion, the bigger everything, and quietly losing sight of their own health while they do it.
Energy gone. Sleep wrecked. Training dropped "until things calm down" (they never do). Stress you can physically see on people.
The maths doesn't work. You can't enjoy the house, the holidays or the security if your body's falling apart underneath you. If success costs you your health, it wasn't success. It was a very expensive trade.
A Quick Story
Years ago, I worked at the Walt Disney Company in London. Proper career ladder. If I'd stayed and climbed, I'd probably be earning very good money right now.
But I knew it was never going to be fulfilling for me. So I left, and I've never once regretted it.
And here's the thing that really brings it home: my kids are at their absolute happiest when they're out in the woods. Running about, climbing things, getting muddy.
Total cost: nothing.
Worth sitting with that for a minute, isn't it?
"I'm Too Busy to Train"? Let's Flip That
The most common thing I hear from stressed, busy people is that they haven't got time to look after themselves. I'd argue it's the opposite: the busier and more stressed you are, the less you can afford to skip it.
Because health isn't a "nice to have" you'll sort out later. It's the foundation everything else sits on:
You think clearer when you train
You handle stress better when you're strong
You sleep better, recover better, and show up better at work, at home, everywhere
Two or three sessions a week. A daily walk. Decent sleep. That's not a huge time investment, and it pays for itself in how well you do everything else.
My Final Notes
Strip it back. Ask yourself what enough actually looks like for you. And whatever your answer is, make sure your health is part of the plan, not the thing you sacrificed to get there.
Because whatever your version of success is (money, family, freedom, all of the above), you can't do any of it effectively without your health.
The biggest house on the street means nothing if you're too burnt out to enjoy living in it.
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