The Carpenter: A Story About the Greatest Success Strategies of All

Chapter 2Rest

The next day Michael read and watched television at home as he tried to heed the doctor’s advice. He wouldn’t tell Sarah, but he would rather die than rest. Besides, the thought of her running their business by herself was killing him. From the beginning they had done everything together, and no matter how much they had going on with their children’s school, sports, and activities, neither of them had missed a day of work until now. He knew Sarah was more than capable of running the business. She was the brains behind the software and services they sold, and also ran operations when Michael left early to coach their daughter’s youth basketball team, but he was the driving force behind their revenue and business growth, and the reason their company, Social Connect, had grown exponentially in the past year. He and Sarah had spent a number of years at different tech start-ups before venturing out on their own together. It was a scary feeling knowing that their future and family depended on Social Connect, and Michael was driven to make it a success.

But now his strongest character traits—drive, work ethic, and passion—were affecting his health, and he had no idea what to do. He felt like a baseball pitcher told he could no longer use his fastball. He wanted to go back to work immediately, but Sarah wouldn’t allow it. You’ll be divorced before that happens, she told him. “A few weeks won’t make or break our business, but it will make or break your health,” she said. ...