| Do you spend a lot of time doing things you | | | | off balance? Dr. Kaye doesn't believe so. |
| wouldn't choose to do, if you had a choice? | | | | To accomplish balance, Dr. Kaye recommends |
| Perhaps your life feels out of control or maybe | | | | taking responsibility for your own life. He argues |
| you hate your job. If you've nodded your head at | | | | that if you don't know what you want and what |
| all, your life is off balance. But it's your choice: you | | | | your purpose is, others will decide for you. To |
| can find balance before it's too late. | | | | avoid this, Dr. Kaye recommends sitting down |
| Chicken or Egg: Identifying the Causes | | | | with paper and pencil to answer these questions: |
| According to Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, | | | | - What kind of person am I? |
| imbalance is "the state of being out of equilibrium" | | | | - What do I intend to be? |
| and stress is "a physical, chemical, or emotional | | | | - What do I expect will happen? |
| factor that causes bodily or mental tension." | | | | - How do I want to live my life? |
| So does stress cause imbalance or does | | | | Once you answer these questions, you can move |
| imbalance cause stress? Both. And neither. While | | | | on to make positive choices in your life, including |
| they feed off one another, there are common | | | | positive career choices. |
| underlying reasons for both. | | | | Good Career Choices Matter |
| The Federal agency NIOSH (The National Institute | | | | Can you be truly happy if you're working at a job |
| for Occupational Safety and Health) identifies | | | | that makes you miserable? Mike Heuring, Director |
| work as a major culprit of stress. In a recent | | | | of Career Services at the University of Montana, |
| report, NIOSH revealed, "The nature of work is | | | | Missoula, thinks not. The reason? We spend a lot |
| changing at whirlwind speed. Perhaps now more | | | | of time at work, often spending more waking |
| than ever before, job stress poses a threat to | | | | hours at work than at home. For this purpose, |
| the health of workers and, in turn, to the health | | | | when advising students, Mr. Heuring suggests: |
| organizations." | | | | "figure out what you want to do based on your |
| NIOSH posted a survey by Northwestern National | | | | skills, abilities, values and interests, then find a |
| Life, in which 40% of workers reported that their | | | | major that will train you to be employable in your |
| jobs were "very or extremely stressful." | | | | chosen position." |
| Northwestern National Life's study also revealed | | | | Even if you're already well into years in a job, it's |
| that one-fourth of employees rate their jobs as | | | | not too late to start a new career. According to |
| the number-one stressors in their lives. | | | | the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, people, on |
| In an informal survey of my own, I asked forty | | | | average, change careers more than three times |
| people to identify their main causes of stress. I | | | | in their working life. And there's no rule saying you |
| found similar results to the NIOSH survey. The | | | | can't change careers more often. Life is short. Do |
| mains causes of stress were as follows: | | | | what makes you happy. |
| 1. Work | | | | Ms. Buell worked for seventeen years in the |
| 2. Money | | | | corporate world before becoming a professional |
| 3. Personal Relationships/Home | | | | life coach. Her desire for better life balance |
| 4. Too little sleep | | | | eventually led her in another direction. For Ms. |
| Work and money, receiving the most votes, can | | | | Buell, the best way to achieve balance was in |
| have a rippling effect, creating difficulties in other | | | | finding a career that helped others find their |
| areas of your life. For instance, if you're unhappy | | | | balance. |
| at work and/or worried about money, it can take | | | | Your Turn: Find Your Balance |
| a toll on your personal life (#3) and on your | | | | Finding balance takes work. If it seems like too |
| sleeping patterns (#4). | | | | much work make a change, remember that time |
| Asking the Hard Questions: Eliminate the Clutter | | | | is limited. Dr. Kaye has a vivid memory of a |
| What do you want from life? What do you need? | | | | relative, before dying, muttering to him: "It could |
| What could you cut out? Linda Manassee Buell, | | | | have been so different." Dr. Kaye finds this tragic, |
| professional life coach and founder and owner of | | | | and in his work, he sees many people heading for |
| Simplify Life, finds that most people who come to | | | | this. "They live on autopilot, just letting things |
| her are simply too full. "They have filled their lives | | | | happen. They have no goals, make no plans, and |
| to overflowing so that the first thing they have | | | | get no results. All they have are a lot of unfulfilled |
| to do is start with a process of eliminating." | | | | dreams." |
| As a starting point for eliminating, Ms. Buell advises | | | | So in the end, it can be tragic to remain in |
| to "go through each day and notice or keep a list | | | | imbalance. In "Simplify Your Life: 7 Simple |
| of anything that is 'draining' your energy." Whether | | | | Strategies for doing what you love to do," Ms. |
| it's the clutter on your desk or your overcrowded | | | | Buell maps out how to avoid this: |
| schedule that doesn't allow for exercise, Ms. Buell | | | | Define a simpler more satisfying life: |
| believes that clearing the clutter can help you | | | | - Eliminate energy-draining tolerations |
| achieve a healthier life balance. The goal is simple: | | | | - Decide what you want your life to look like |
| clear out what you don't want to make room for | | | | - Understand your financial picture |
| what you do want. For some, clearing the clutter | | | | - Create a life changing plan |
| might even make stressful jobs more tolerable. | | | | - Develop your own supportive community |
| For others, their job IS the clutter. | | | | - Have fun and enjoy your life |
| More Hard Questions: Who Are You and What Do | | | | It's Not a Sprint! Accomplish Balance Endurance |
| You Want? | | | | Finding balance does not happen overnight. |
| Steve Kaye, PhD, professional speaker, | | | | Remember, it takes work. "The key is that this is |
| consultant, and founder and owner of One Great | | | | not a 'project,' something that you do quickly and |
| Meeting agrees that cutting out the negative can | | | | it is done," says Ms. Buell. "Creating a Healthy Life |
| lead to healthier life balance. Dr. Kaye is good | | | | Balance is a 'process,' something that will evolve |
| example of balance: he seems to be happy and | | | | over time. |
| enjoying life. Can you enjoy a life that is seriously | | | | |