Sometimes the best thing you can do in life is pull back especially when there’s a line drive heading for your face.

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In life you need to know when to push (try hard) and when to pull back (take it easy). There is no better example of this then the day I loss my front tooth during a baseball game but before I describe that faithful day let me start from the beginning.

I was a high school freshmen with an impressive batting average. I had been on fire ever since my grandfather punished me for striking out looking at the end of the game. After hitting off the tee and being scolded the entire time I made a vow that I wouldn’t allow my grandfather the opportunity to yell at me again. So I started hitting everything pitched at me and I did it well enough to catch the attention of the varsity head coach who relayed to me before the game that they were interested in moving me up after the season was over.

With this exciting news planted in my head I was determined to impress. I was going to make sure they would have no choice but to pick me up. So there I was standing in the outfield waiting for the game to end. We’re leading by ten runs and with one out remaining I glance toward the dugout. My adrenaline fires up as I catch a glimpse of the varsity coach in the stands.

I begin to pace side to side as I envision myself making a big play. I’m focused on trying to make a high light reel catch. I’m pleading for the ball to come my way as I start to creep toward the infield. In a split second the ball is hit hard and as it nears me it starts to dive quickly. The moment was perfect and in a split second I made my decision to dive. In mid air I realize that I had made a grave mistake. Once my feet was off the ground everything seemed to slow down as I watched the ball pass my glove and fire into my mouth. I lay flat on my face as I try to figure out the damage.

I don’t feel any pain so I push my head off the ground and as I do I spot a large patch of blood where my head once was. At that moment I realize something was rattling in my mouth so I spit it into my hand and to my horror I held my broken tooth. It had been knocked out and so in complete despair I drop my head into the blood stained grass . I think everyone was worried I had a head injury but I wasn’t instead I was mortified to see how I looked. I knew I must have looked like a horror movie victim because when my teammates saw me they yelled for help.

In the aftermath I was forced to get several stitches, a root canal and a fake front tooth but the worse part about it was not having the opportunity to move up. My desire to impress and make the varsity team would be my own undoing. If I had just let the ball bounce on the ground I could have walked away with all my teeth. This is true in life as well. There are times when we go above and beyond to succeed. We’ll give up weekends and work overtime to get a promotion. We try our best to force fates hand.

Sadly, working yourself to the bone can have bad side affects. It can cause turmoil in your home because of your lack of attention with those you love. If you don’t take time to rest some of you may start falling ill more often, which affects productivity. On the other hand, not caring is not a positive option. You can’t expect to succeed in life without working hard. No matter what you think luck is no accident. Luck only occurs when work has been put in.

In the end, it’s all about timing. Looking back at the game I now regret not understanding the risk I was taking trying to make a play that would have no bearing on a blowout win. That wasn’t the right time to push myself to the limit. If I had pulled back and taken the basic approach to that play I would have walked away unharmed. This is no different for those of you who are fighting to succeed. There are moments when it’s important for you to push yourself to the limit, however, there are also times when you need to pull back and take a break. If you don’t you risk your long term health and relationships, which unlike my tooth can be hard to recover from.

So the next time it’s the bottom of the ninth with two outs make sure the risk is worth the reward.

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Photo Credit: Flickr/Nick Olejniczak