We’re doing a short series on perspectives that go against conventional wisdom. If you’re just now joining us, I encourage you to go back and catch the last few entries in this series.

This episode is not really about writing, it’s more about life. I’ve noticed something during my years as a pastor, educator, and now a full-time writer. Here’s my observation: people in creative fields seem to be at a greater risk for sabotaging their lives.

In fact, there is a common narrative among creative types that giving birth to your art is by definition a painful, destructive process. People who live by this code are called tortured artists. They usually suffer from addictions to drugs or alcohol and are convinced that their darkness is an essential part of their art.

Case in point: There is a group known as the “27 Club.” These are famous musicians who died at age 27. The club includes Jimmy Hendrix, Janice Joplin, Jim Morrison, Kurt Cobain, and Amy Winehouse.

The greatness of their music is never in question. But you can’t help but wonder: how much more music could they have given to the world if their lives had not been cut short by substance abuse, suicide, or other circumstances fueled by a reckless approach to life?

Over the last few years, I have watched a few different people in my space of online business crash and burn. It seems to be the same pattern over and over again. They build a successful business from scratch, they work hard and become very successful, their marriages crash and burn, and they have to start over.

In all of these cases I’m thinking of, the person came back to a healthy life and a successful business. But they had to go to the fire to get there.

I’m not coming from a place of judgment, but rather a place of compassion and empathy and humility. After all, I work on the assumption that all of us are just one or two bad decisions away from a complete train wreck. I’ve been around the block of life enough to know that we are all capable of bad decisions that can destroy us.

As you get more successful in your life and writing, keep in mind that anybody can fall. And the more successful you are, and the more people know you, the harder you’re going to fall.

So keep watch over yourself, your relationships, your mental and emotional health, and your habits. If you reach a level of success that is bigger than your own self-control, you will eventually crash and burn. It’s just a matter of time.

May we all go forward with as much humility as we can muster.

Question: Are you watching your life and your habits closely so that you can avoid your own personal train wreck?