How refreshing to read an honest perspective on what it takes to get to the top. EVERYTHING. I'm glad you were able to pull back in time to enjoy the non-work things life has to offer.

I would agree with the benefit of focusing on a particular goal to get it done. Many great things can only be accomplished this way. As you say, if it becomes a habit and lasts for too many years, then it can destroy you. You have to know your own personal limits.

Obsessions are not confined to work. I live in Germany, and my mother-in-law grew up in post-WWII Germany. The 1950s and 1960s were all about rebuilding the country and the economy. She developed an obsession with having just the right house with just the right yard.

She was so driven to get this that she organized her entire life around it. This dream consumed all of her time, energy, and money. She forced her husband to spend years on endless real estate exploration visits.

At the age of 63, they had finally succeeded in building the perfect, beautiful villa with an expansive garden.

At 64, she died of cancer.