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