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Work-Life Balance How to Have it All Thriving Career, Happy Marriage, Fulfilling Parenthood

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Today many Americans strive to “have it all” with respect to their personal and professional life but, all too often, this shotgun effort leads to disappointing results on many – if not all – fronts. “The complexity lies in creating abundance in your life while still being able to relax and enjoy life to its fullest,” agrees CEO Couple Ed and Ellen Schack, ‘parent-preneurs’ and speakers who have realized mutual whole-life success through key principals that have helped them successfully balance family life with growing businesses.

Individual business owners and parents of three, the Schack’s have blended their families, work lives, and personalities in a way that complement each other, and serve as a model for other couples and families striving to do the same.  Here are some tips on what you can do to make it all work:

 

    • Embracing Our Differences: The Spice of Life. 
      One of the most important components of life is to recognize how very unique each one of us is and how we can actually harness these individual qualities to add greater strength or capabilities to a relationship. Whether it’s a spouse or a child, it is important to pay appreciate differing characteristics and personality. This may mean modifying a discipline or communication approach that lead to the necessary changes that generate a positive family impact and outcome.

 

    • Are We Having Fun Yet? Life’s Way Too Short to Be that Serious. 
      Life is supposed to be fun and work is, too. Ed and Ellen’s philosophy is to make everything in life a worthwhile experience, lived moment to moment. Be present in those moments and make them as memorable as possible. Also keep a peaceful state of mind by purposely relaxing – don’t wait for random chance to present.

 

    • WIFLE: Open Lines of Communication. 
      Communication is vital to any healthy relationship whether business and personal. The Schack’s have embraced their business coach’s philosophy, WIFLE – What I Feel Like Expressing – that is a part of every weekly meeting where employees get to talk about whatever they want about CEOs, employees, themselves, the companies, etc. Ed and Ellen do this in a more informal way at home with their three kids. Make sure there is resolution on each topic presented so that no one is confused. And, be sure to reach a decision that provides one answer.

 

    • All Hands on Deck: Operating with Respect, Balance, and Recognition. 
      When looking for inspiration in one’s life, it’s important to have go-to people to lean on in both the career and non-career aspects. This may mean using a business consultant who can take the business to the next level or a personal confidant who can help you make personal changes, improve communication, resolve issues and become better people. Tied to the principle of recognizing the value in others and accepting other’s opinions is the overriding principle of being respectful in every aspect of life. Have respect, let it go. Never stay angry. Don’t get crazy over little things.

 

    • Shelter Against the Storm: Finding your Neutral Zone.  
      It is not easy to maintain happy and healthy relationships on a personal or professional level. There will be discord and disagreement, so finding a neutral zone is important where each person can go to get away from stress. Think about your home or other location as a sanctuary that is replete with peace and positivity. Establish a place of escape from life’s difficulties, so that you can clear your head, regroup and productively deal with the situation at hand.

 

    • Shift Change: Keeping our Home and Businesses Separate.  
      It is important to create boundaries that keep work and home life separate, so that couples can carve out as much quality family time as possible. This helps to reduce anxiety and stress in the family unit. Those with home-based businesses can still establish work hours and then close up shop and focus on the family – for the health and happiness of all involved.

 

  • More than Skin Deep: Social Responsibility on the Inside and Out.
    Establishing a business and a family life based on a philosophy of social responsibility can generate a great deal of satisfaction. Whether it is the idea to “pay it forward” by helping those who are less fortunate or creating a bucket list based on what you can do for others (rather than yourself) not only makes a difference in others’ lives, but it also enriches your own life and makes it feel more fulfilling.  Doing these activities as a couple or family unit is a unique bonding experience.

 

About The CEO Couple
Ed and Ellen Schack are not your average couple. Both are CEOs of successful entrepreneurial national businesses, EES Cosmetic Solutions and Cowabunga Ice Cream. Both are committed to their “blended” family, and they hold steadfast to their faith. Ed and Ellen not only have an enduring positive outlook on life, but they developed a formula called “The Cowabunga Lifestyle” – one that does not take life too seriously. Through their family backgrounds and life experiences, Ed and Ellen have found a unique way to combine their families, business lives, and personalities in a way that complement each other.  Their model for living and working are based on principles that foster healthy a marriage, business growth, and managing the rigor of everyday life: Respect, Communication, Partnership, Fun, Family, Faith, Balance, and Well-Being combined with many operational components of business like Strategy, Vision, and Competition. Learn more online at www.theceocouple.com and via Twitter #theceocouple.

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The Power of YES

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This International Women’s Day there are a lot of organizations organizing events and activities around the world, and since I am not one of those organizing any event, it is time to celebrate in my own quiet way.

I would like to honor this day by raising a toast to my mother, who has shown me the incredible power of YES.

Here’s a toast to you mom!!
And CHEERS for your support!

Since the world shrank and technology brought all humanity together, in-fact even before that, we’ve added a lot to our plates. It may not be more than we can chew because we have added on to our capacity to gorge more; it certainly has increased the stress and multitasking in our lives. In such times the gurus rave on the power of NO, to know when to say NO to what you can’t do to add on to what you MUST do. There’s no negating this policy for a saner life, but the power of YES has it’s own incredible attraction and lure.

All along after I completed school and stepped in the adult world, I’ve seen my mother as the person who said YES to the opportunities that came along and urged me to follow on the same path.

”
You want to go for an MBA, go ahead start studying now.
Where all can you apply for your post graduate studies, apply as many as you can.
You have three interviews to go to – go to all three, don’t form any preconceived notions before you give them a chance at least.
You have an offer for an offshore job, pretty unconventional but give it a try; you can always come back if you don’t like it.
Say YES now, you cannot try without this first step!
”

And that’s what I have done all through; the power of YES has opened up the world to me and offered some brilliant insight and amazing purpose to life. Success to me is not vertical but a lateral growth – not a step-by-step approach to goals or success affirmations but focus on exploration and learning. What more can I learn and explore, to dive deep and surface back, to explore new islands and navigate the oceans on ships and bare foot. The power of yes makes you an optimist, an explorer, and strong.

When you take a new step you do not know where it will take you, but what’s important is to take that step first.

“Go as far as you can see, and when you get there you will see further.” ~ Orison Swett Marden

So, learn by your experience for there is no other teacher who can teach you better and go by the power of YES, for women are naturally stronger and we know we can do it!

A close friend asked me to add here which I completely agree with: “Say YES, but KNOW how to balance it with the NOs. There is no hardcore strategy to anything and the choice of Yes/No needs to be made thoughtfully.” Thanks Snehal, I am nodding in approval!

Here’s to all strong mothers of the world – HAPPY INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY!

Would deeply appreciate if you want to share your toasts to the incredible women in your lives here. Please add to the comments! THANKS!

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Announcing the Launch of CareerWomenEvents.com

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A website completely dedicated to presenting, displaying the national and international events for the career women or fundraisers and benefit events for women in general. And yes you can post your events for FREE!

ð  Drumrolls please- welcome to http://careerwomenevents.com

Is there a NEED?

As we see from the present scenario, there are new apps and products released daily, we don’t NEED them but some of them do become our ‘need’ in the long run. Of course you can Google and find the career women events in your area, or look up the local events but is there a website that lists the events specific to career women somewhere – now there sure is one!
For sure the career women deserve this special events info website!

Why SPECIFIC to Career Women?

A working mother is the busiest person around; multitasking at home/chores/family and managing a career it certainly is not easy to keep up-to-date on the various events that can help her in career advancement, let alone attend them! To know is the first step; to make time to attend is another milestone. The website CareerWomenEvents is an effort in this direction – your bookmark to events happening in and around your city and not only that the information on the event aims to inspire you to look similar events that are happening around the world.

Maybe one day you would like to organize one too!

It is also your ‘women specific events resort‘ on the internet to drop in now and then to know about the various awards ceremonies and benefit events happening in our community to honor and help women. A salute and warm happy feeling is what you feel when you read through such events!

And why NOW?

Because March marks the five year anniversary of Careerbright! Yay! And also because March 8th is International Women’s Day and this one is special since it marks the 100th anniversary of this celebration- there couldn’t have been a better time to celebrate and rejoice with another service to the career women of the world!

 

Please note this website is still in its ‘beta’ release (it doesn’t say that on the website but it just feels ‘good’ to say that - kind of a mystery on what is going to happen after the beta release – theta! anyone? Well we’re working to get some issues fixed but the celebration of the time called for its release today! Suggestions and feedback WELCOME.

If you wish to add your events and have any problems submitting online then please send us the event information to events[at]careerwomenevents [dot] com

Follow us on twitter at http://twitter.com/CWF_Events

 

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4 Tips on Stress Relief at Job

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Guest Post by Alexis Bonari

If it seems as though you are starting to take forever to finish work assignments or if you feel as though any task that is given to you makes you want to run and hide, you may be suffering from work burnout. Extremely long working hours, unrealistic deadlines and other tedious work related problems can start to contribute to low moral and a reduction in productivity. Below are a few more indicators that you may be starting to run on empty:

  • Trouble getting out of bed when its time to go to work
  • You are starting to come to work later more often
  • Your job performance is starting to get you down
  • A feeling of being withdrawn
  • You are constantly watching the clock
  • The stress of work is starting to effect your home life
  • You are starting to get into arguments or disagreements unlike before with your superiors
  • You feel no progress is being made even though you feel you are trying your best

If these symptoms sound like something you can relate to, it might be time for a change.
Below are a few helpful hits to get you back on your career track.

1. Schedule
Time management can really help you rebound from job exhaustion. If you feel like you are taking on much or more then you can handle, prioritise, you may realise you are creating unnecessary extra pressure. Try keeping a simple record of what is expected from you at work and see it as one project at a time. If you have a presentation and emails pending, do the task most needed first them move on from there.

2. Hone on the Pressure Source
Understanding what contributes to the pressure and what makes your decline in motivation can help you move in a more positive direction. Really think about what has been adding to your burnout: Is it the feeling that projects of work projects being  out of control? Have your own actions maybe added to the problem? For example, you may have made an overly ambitious time line for having an assignment done, creating unnecessary stress and worry for its success. Small changes in your routine, such as seeking help  from your manager when you have too many assignments, can help lighten up your load.

3. Its OK To Get Some Help
Common symptoms of burnout is feeling of isolated. You may think no one will understand or complete the project as well as you based on your knowledge of it, but someone else might bring in a fresh outlook and take away some of the burden.
It’s perfectly alright to let others in on the fact that your having a hard time and need some help. As long as you do it professionally you wont be perceived as a complainer, Just address the specific issue and ask for the best way to achieve it.

4. Break Time!
Even if you’re working long hours, you will def need a recharge. Take 10-minute breaks throughout your workday. Even if all you can do is stretch or go for a quick walk. Eat lunch at your desk instead of outside. Going outside, can give you a new outlook on your situation and you will return with a new outlook and energy.

Stress is normal for any job, but when it gets out of hand, it’s important to be proactive. Burnout can effect your job performance but most of all your overall life. If you just make a few easy adjustments, you can regain your ability for optimal job performance and stress free living.

About the Author:
Alexis Bonari is a freelance writer and blog junkie. She is currently a resident blogger at College Scholarships.org. In her spare time, she enjoys square-foot gardening, swimming, and avoiding her laptop.

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Creating a Stress-Free Career Journey – Ten Tips for the Young Professional Woman

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Guest Post by Dr. Ann Gatty

Is there such a thing as a stress-free career path?  Probably not but at least we should try to minimize stress while working as much as we can.  It is a fact that most of us have to work to pay the bills.  We invest a lot of our time making a living so, doesn’t it make sense that if we are going to invest so much of our precious time earning money, can’t we try to find work we enjoy?  Can we develop a life that is fulfilling for professional ambitions, personal enjoyment and family connections?  I want to offer some advice from my many years in the workforce.  Hopefully, some of the information will make sense to you and offer some strategies for crafting a more stress-free career path.  So here is my list of 10 strategies to build a successful (and hopefully stress-free) career.

Know thyself.

You really can not know what type of career to choose until you take a honest look at yourself.  Identify the strengths that you can bring to a job, the weaknesses that need to be improved and your genuine interests.  Be honest with who you are.   As you set your goals in life- make certain that they are your goals that you are trying to accomplish for your own self-worth, not for family members, friends or colleagues.  Choose a career because it is the right fit with your personality and a career in which you believe. There is nothing worse than working in a job you hate.  One other thing about personal assessment–don’t forget identifying your learning style.  How do you like to learn new information?  On the job learning is important and constant, and if you find that your style of learning does not match that of the job you are pursuing, you will be frustrated and stressed.   Through your assessment, you should be able to identify what your competencies are knowledge-wise; what your skills are that you use with job performances; and what your abilities are that you can add to your organization.  This unique combination that you possess is your competitive edge and indicates why an employer should hire you.

Know your passion.

As you consider a career path, ask yourself, “What do I love to do?”   Where is the passion in your life?  Have you considered how you can make money pursuing this passion?  When you identify what you really love to do, then pursuing the passion will bring you the most satisfaction and allow you to stick with the learning curve and the ensuing tedium without loosing your enthusiasm.  Remember that doing exceptionally well is the result of obsessively focusing on one thing and getting passionate and inspired by it.  I believe that by pursuing your passion means that you will shine.  And people will notice.  They will notice competency, self-confidence and a smile.

Guard against career stress.

What causes you stress within your job?  Is it the long commutes, or the obnoxious bosses?  Maybe you feel career instability or burn-out from the long working hours.  The flip-side of knowing what you like, is knowing what you don’t like.  So take time to define what stress looks like in your life and then identify where it shows its ugly face in your career.  Can you label the sources of your stress or describe what triggers your anxiety attacks? Some of you may be looking to change jobs soon in your career path so it is best to identify job patterns to avoid.  The economic climate is shaky at best right now so you don’t want to be job hopping.  That causes more stress.  And a word of caution for you single ladies.  Single women can feel additional burdens as you pursue your career path.  You may be afraid to make a job change, even if it is warranted, because having a single income.   Financial fear is a real issue and often causes stressful choices for those reliant on a single income.

Enjoy the journey.

It will be full of surprises, some good, some not so good.  By journey, I actually mean action plan.  And the action plan is really a set of directions that allow you to move down a path toward a goal.  But the goal is just the end point, and getting there is the most important activity. Learn from the people you meet and the experiences that occur.  Learning is a lifetime activity.  It never stops. With your career path, strive to enjoy the process and use all of these components to enrich your perspective and continue towards your goal.  Find the benefits in the work you are doing now that can make positive contributions moving you forward.  Be optimistic and keep looking ahead.   Change the path if you need to, but keep a forward perspective.  Know when to move on, when to stay and keep your head up, looking forward. The experience needs to be enjoyed.

Play nice.

As you keep moving up in your career path, take care of the people behind you.  Let them have the benefit of what you have learned.  Help women climbing below you on the corporate ladder.  Give back to those who helped you.  Don’t make enemies.  You may need them and never know where they will end up in their career path.  It is much better to work together to accomplish goals.  It applies to all facets of life.   And this is a good networking tactic.  People notice who they can trust and rely on to get their work done.

Read.

Yes, you need to read and read different types of news and different types of books.  If you read the NY Times, then read the Wall Street Journal.  Get different perspectives.  Know what is happening in the world around you.  The more you read the more you shape your personality.  And you become more interesting to your colleagues.

Keep a portfolio of your work.

Put aside materials that you have produced reflecting relevant skills and accomplishments.  These can be work assignments that you have produced in various phases of your career or reflective of different job capacities.  Choose about five examples of your very best work that make you proud.  Keep these works as a reminder to yourself about what types of assignments and tasks you prefer.  Having concrete reminders is helpful for your self confidence and allows you to sell your capabilities to future employers when job interviews come down the road.

Build your self confidence.

It is the best gift you can give yourself.  But show confidence not arrogance.  Confidence comes from doing your job well and also from feeling good about yourself.   Take care of yourself, know where you derive your confidence and protect that attribute.  Confidence comes from many sources including the way you dress–clothes–your shoes–or the accessories you add.  You can also gain confidence knowing that you are taking care of yourself with good skin care, proper diet and exercise. Maybe you enjoy relaxing after a long day at work.  Taking care of your well being goes a long way towards feeling good about yourself.

Develop a game plan.

What is your dream?  I have talked about the journey but really a journey is only as good as the plan that creates it.  Your plan should provide a sense of direction, but leave your doors of opportunity open so you can make changes when appropriate.  Your career plan is developed with a sketch of information as you start, and then it becomes more detailed as you learn and experience more.  You become more knowledgeable and your expertise actually comes from your many contributing experiences.  Yes, it is ok to fail as long as you learn from it.  As a matter of fact, I don’t know anyone who has not failed at one point or another when building a career.  Keep your eyes on the prize and don’t lose track of the big picture.

Know that your life is not always in balance.

Really, work, family, community, and you are never in balance.  Sometimes there is a tradeoff.  I have found that you can not wait for time to be exactly right in order to make a decision.  You are always living in the present, not waiting for some future event to occur.  Emotions can only be felt in the present.  Past is a memory and future is unpredictable. So live now, listen to others, and know who you are and what you want to do.  Then do it.

About the Author:

Dr. Ann Gatty is an educator, author, organizational strategist and personal consultant.  She has taught in classrooms, museums, boardrooms and employee seminars.  She has mentored and coached.  From her work and personal experiences, she finds a continuous need among women, of all walks of life, to find answers to questions about their life balance, goals, and health.  Because of these needs, Ann Gatty hosts a website, www.stress-management-4-women.com.  The purpose is to answer the questions women share as they negotiate life’s many challenges.

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All Things At ONCE

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“Some of us are wired for work. It’s in our bones. Some of us are wired for family. And some of us are wired for all of it.” Mika Brezenski in All things at Once.

It is tough to strike a balance between work and family life and Mika tells her story in an honest and straightforward way. In fact, it is just not Mika’s story so many full-time moms around the world would relate to the daily struggles and pains that we all go through trying to have it all – or just trying to maintain a balance in our personal and professional lives.

Mika’s story relates poignantly to any working mom’s journey of growing, learning and the struggles to achieve a balance between work and personal life.
And we all connect with it easily. I admired Mika for this statement in her book: “Your job can be a big part of who you are, but it shouldn’t be the whole package. Your family and relationships should be central, but they needn’t be front and center at all times.” Wouldn’t you agree?

Discussions, blogs, articles, books when talking about the work-life balance suggest not to “have it all”, you have to give some to get some, but many women that we see around have done “all things at once”. To have a busy high flying career, a family life and a healthy marriage; but all of this comes with a trade-off – some give and take as you miss out on the kids schedules, miss out on being part of their lives when they want to turn back and say “look mommy, I did this”. For a woman managing a high flying career and family with young kids is mighty tough. Going through one mad scramble after another we miss out on the overall goals and objectives of our existence.

Mika says: “Later on, going over this frantic period in my life, trying to understand my impulse and motivation, I began to realize that women sometimes make life-altering career decisions with a kind of gun to their heads. We put ourselves in these false do-or-die scenarios that leave us thinking if we don’t overextend ourselves, or push, push, push after opportunities when they appear, that we’ll never accomplish our goals or rise in the estimation of our peers. That was me, there was the CBS night shift, only I failed to consider that I’d already accomplished my primary goals; I was married to an amazing man, with a beautiful baby girl and a career I loved.”

See a video here as Mika talks about her book.

We all have stories of our lives but not all of us can or have shared it to encourage or intrigue others to a discussion on how difficult it is for a working mother to aspire for career promotions and work hard to keep the family together. Love you Mika for sharing and inspiring – great book that many working moms all over the world will enjoy reading and learning that it is great to slow down once in a while but also sometimes “shedding your identity as a professional can be as damaging as holding it too close.”

MIKA BRZEZNSKI is a co-host of “Morning Joe” and an MSNBC anchor. She will also co-host the new WABC New York radio show, “Joe & Mika,” which plans to go national next year. Brzezinski also reports on “NBC Nightly News” and is an alternating news anchor for “Weekend Today.”Prior to joining MSNBC, Brzezinski was an anchor of the “CBS Evening News Weekend Edition” and a CBS News correspondent who frequently contributed to “CBS Sunday Morning” and “60 Minutes.” In September 2001, she became CBS’s principal “Ground Zero” reporter for the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

Get this book at: Amazon

(Please Note: I have not been paid to write this review, it is a sincere opinion and my wish to present the readers of this blog to get to know good books that bring value to day to day work life and overall improve our strengths)


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Now this is cool – Simply Hired and LinkedIn Integration

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If you are searching for a job and you now the power of networking, what would be the first question that comes to your mind when you see a suitable position advertised for your dream company ABC Inc. and now you want to apply right away?
Answer: Do I know someone who is currently at ABC Inc. to whom I can forward my resume or just ask something about the company?

Ok now how to find out who works there.. Email friends, ask other acquaintances.. what if no one can help. And of course it takes time?

Now folks at Simply Hired have found just the right way to get you connected – of course you must first be connected to LinkedIn and have some relevant contact there… but here it goes (source of this info is the Simply Hired Newsletter/website):
Simply Hired’s Who Do I Know® feature is the first integration with LinkedIn in the industry that instantly delivers an in-line view of your professional connections with potential employers. To activate the LinkedIn feature, click the “Who Do I Know” button at the top of the search results page and allow access to your LinkedIn account. Then, the names and photos of your professional connections appear automatically next to companies included in your results. Through this deep integration, SimplyHired.com encourages the referral hiring process through social networks, bringing traditional networking online.
Try it out for yourself and see who you are connected to and who could help you land your dream job.

Read Simply Hired Blog for more info.

Now who all do you know and who are you adding to your network? This is a cool integration and can add a lot of benefit to the Simply Hired jobs search site. Great Job SH team!

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Losing Your Job May Be The Best Thing That Ever Happened To You – Guest Post

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Losing Your Job May Be The Best Thing That Ever Happened To You
By Allison Maslan

You have heard the story many times. What seems to be a tragedy, such as in an illness, job loss or divorce ends up turning to triumph when the person ends up making drastic positive changes through their forced set of circumstances.
Many have found themselves jobless in these trying times, frightened and wondering what to do next. The interesting twist is that a large percentage of those laid off have often said that they did not “love” their job. The job has represented security, which is of prime importance, however, in many cases, their work was not completely satisfying or fulfilling. In fact, a study prior to this economic downturn showed that 87% of people polled disliked their jobs. Since we spend approximately 75,000 hours at work from age 25 to 65, this seems to be an even sadder circumstance than a difficult job market.

Connie Delonge, president of Breakthrough Grief Recovery, wanted to start her own business for a very long time, but was afraid to take the leap and leave her job. She had been in the mortgage business for years for financial reason’s only. “It is very stressful work and even though I am good at it, it was never very fulfilling for me.” Connie’s true passion has been grief recovery support which she had been doing for years on a volunteer basis through Horizon Hospice of Poway, California.
“This economy forced me to find a new way to pay the bills. My gut was telling me that at this point in my life, I could no longer work at a job that was unsatisfying. Life is too short to not go after your dreams. My life coach, Allison Maslan, helped me move past my fear of becoming an entrepreneur, and then supported me in laying out a step-by-step strategic plan to create my own grief counseling business. I have not been this excited about my life in years.”
Connie is just one example of many individuals that are taking advantage of a challenging time and turning it into an opportunity to take the entrepreneurial leap. Slowdowns don’t have to be roadblocks to starting new businesses, experts say.

It might seem counter-intuitive to start a new business when the economy is flailing, but a recession can actually be the ideal time for launching a new enterprise. In fact, many well-known and successful organizations were born during hard times because it is often easier to start a new company than find the right job during a recession.

Here are some examples of companies that laid the groundwork of their enterprise during tougher economic times. Hyatt Corporation opened its first hotel’s doors at the Los Angeles International Airport during the Eisenhower recession (1957 to 1958). Bill Gates and Paul Allen launched Microsoft during the recession in 1975. CNN started its humble beginnings as a little-known station called The Cable Network News during the 1980 recession. The Fortune 500 is full of companies that were founded during down times: from Johnson and Johnson, to Disney, Cisco and Intel.

Prerna O’hara, president of Your Company Concierge has been working with the Blast Off Program over the past several to months develop her dream business. She was also employed as the Concierge/Patient Liason for a San Diego medical and day spa. When they let her go due to the down economy, it was the perfect excuse for Prerna to speed up the pace of her new business launch. She is taking the expertise she offered her employer and putting it to work for herself.
“I may have taken longer to get my business up and running, so losing my job has actually motivated me to open for business now. As Allison has said, poverty is a great motivator and failure is not an option! I have had so much fun putting all of this together. I am so passionate about my new business and I am dedicated to making it work.
A recession can offer many advantages to a budding entrepreneur including, lower rents, better deals with suppliers, and employees are often willing to start in for less.
Often the worst of times can end up being an opportunity for the best of times, just as turning lemons into lemonade could be your most profitable and satisfying venture.
If you have a vision, go for it. It is never going to be the perfect time to go after your dreams. But if you don’t do it now, years could pass and you may find yourself saying, “Why didn’t I?”

Allison Maslan, HHP, CCH has been an entrepreneur for the past 25 years and has a vibrant array of nine successful businesses to her credit. She is an author, life and career coach, homeopathic physician and international speaker. Allison is the president of The Blast Off Life and Business Coaching. Through her years of working with thousands of clients on a one-on-one basis, she has come to understand how and why human beings create their own personal limits in every aspect of their lives. Her Blast Off One-on-One Coaching Program and Blastation Interactive Life Coaching Software help people tap into their passions, learn to release their self-limiting roadblocks, and guides them through a step-by-step flight plan for success and fulfillment in all areas of life. www.myblastoff.com 888-844-3550

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Important Information that you Must know when Working with a Medical Condition

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When you have a persistent a medical condition, stress at the workplace might be more than you can handle. You have to cope with the ailment at work and also might have to adapt a new working style to accommodate any slowdown to your assigned tasks.
Although it is not required to inform your employer or your medical condition at the time of interview or after, but it is good to inform your supervisor/boss on what could be expected with the particular medical condition you have. You may request your boss not to disclose to other employees if you wish so, but always a good idea to keep your supervisor updated on any short-term or long-term sickness related absences.

According to a 2002 National Health Interview Survey, arthritis is keeping almost 7 million American workers from performing their best at their workplace. In an informative article on About.com, the authors discuss how to manage your work environment when dealing with arthritis. An article on arthritis-treatment-and-relief.com suggests the Ten Tips to Avoid Aches and Pains in the Office.

Family and Medical Leave Act

In the US you may take an extended medical leave to recover from your ailment. According to US Department of Labor, under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA):

Covered employers must grant an eligible employee up to a total of 12 workweeks of unpaid leave during any 12-month period for one or more of the following reasons:

  • for the birth and care of the newborn child of the employee;
  • for placement with the employee of a son or daughter for adoption or foster care;
  • to care for an immediate family member (spouse, child, or parent) with a serious health condition; or
  • to take medical leave when the employee is unable to work because of a serious health condition.

Read more on this topic at the above DOL website link. Also note that there have been some changes in 2009 to this act, you must also get some related information from your employer on the possible leaves you can take. There are limitations to coverage of FMLA (Source of this info: Findlaw):
The FMLA does not apply to all employers, or to all employees. The FMLA only covers employers with 50 or more workers, who have employed 50 or more workers for at least the past 20 weeks. It also applies to public agencies, regardless of the number of employees, and to elementary and secondary schools, both public and private. The FMLA only applies to employees who have worked for a covered employer for a minimum of 12 months, although these 12 months do not need to be consecutive. Additionally, the employee must have worked at least 1,250 hours for the employer during the previous 12 months, at a site where the employer has 50 or more employees within a 75-mile radius.

You might also want to know about the Disability Discrimination Act to understand your rights against discrimination at work due to any disability or medical condition.

The US Disability Discrimination Act

Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 prohibits private employers, state and local governments, employment agencies and labor unions from discriminating against qualified individuals with disabilities in job application procedures, hiring, firing, advancement, compensation, job training, and other terms, conditions, and privileges of employment. The ADA covers employers with 15 or more employees, including state and local governments. It also applies to employment agencies and to labor organizations. The ADA’s nondiscrimination standards also apply to federal sector employees under section 501 of the Rehabilitation Act, as amended, and its implementing rules.
(Get the complete information at: http://www.eeoc.gov/types/ada.html )


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Who is the Happiest Working Mother?

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How would you define yourself as a working mother (if you are one)?
Happiest, happy, just getting along, overworked and tired, miserable or “don’t know” (the one who has no time to gauge your emotions in the ever rush of getting tasks done)?

Reading Lucy’s answers on FT.com columns had me thinking on who and what makes you appear in the happiest working mothers list?

Lucy says:

    It struck me recently that the happiest are the women who do little or no paid work and concentrate on their children. But then I realised they are the least ambitious and so are likely to be happiest anyway. The next happiest are the ones with successful full-time jobs, who let their husbands and nannies take charge at home.The least happy are the ones who are both doggedly committed to work and who want to be proper mothers too. Trying to do both usually means the mother will be in tears before bedtime, even if the children are not.
There are some very interesting comments to this article.. do read. (a glimpse here of the many comments on this post)
    – I couldn’t wait to return to work but now, after 3 years of paid nannies (big bucks), the novelty of being a ‘working mother’ (oh and by the way the ‘mummy track’ does exist – big time!) has well and truly worn off and we are fed up of other people bringing up our child. My partner, the lesser paid wage slave, has negotiated flexible working times to become a stay at home dad

– And just be grateful that you are not having this same problem in America, where women take an average of six weeks’ maternity leave, flexible working is a joke, and employees have little to no rights.

Hmm,… my thoughts on the article – it is a very relevant topic always and for every generation and the thoughts expressed are right in many ways.
In my experience with working with full time and part-time working mothers I have found that the happiest indeed are the ones with full time jobs and a earning a decent salaries but have made their lives easier by either hiring a nanny or delegating different household tasks like cooking, cleaning, laundry and picking up kids from school to paid services. Of course all these tasks require you to shelve out a good amount of money, but if you can buy happiness with money won’t you do that?
If I am given a choice to save this money monthly and be miserable daily since I would be overworked and tired as opposed to sparing and saving extra cash to pay for these services I would choose the latter.
What would you do?

I am a great proponent of part-time working mothers too. I feel to keep ambitions and aspirations alive a woman can feel complete and guilt-free (well, almost) if she works part-time and can spend some quality time with kids also. This arrangement helps the woman to feel financially independent and also continue with the very important aspect in life, raising “feeling-loved” and “spent-quality-time-with” kids. Although this may not work out for everyone but if the society and the employers support (of course government policies will make al the difference too) such a support for the working mother, the world would be a much happier place.

“Happiest working mother” is a debatable topic because even what you perceive as the happiest have their problems.. life is hard woman but make the most of it …

After I had this post online, I happened to read a similar article on The Huffington Post and just have to mention some stats they have there:

The above picture has been taken from the same post, the label says:
Average happiness index value for the period 1972-2006 Source: Based on responses to question 157 of the General Social Surveys
Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/marcus-buckingham/whats-happening-to-womens_b_289511.html


`”Hey,” you might say. “Life’s tough. Deal with it.” And of course, you’d be right. Life is not designed with anyone’s happiness in mind, and it has the disconcerting habit of not rewarding the good as much as we’d expect, of punishing the wicked less vigorously than we’d like, and even, on occasion, of getting the two completely mixed up.
Even so, only the most wasted of cynics would deny that something’s got to give. Not only is this “tough life” significantly tougher on women than it is on men, but the advances of the last 40 years were supposed to have changed things for the better. And not just for womankind, but for each individual woman. The hard-won rights, opportunities, and advantages were supposed to have netted women more than just another burdensome role to play–”you at work.” They were supposed to have fostered in each woman feelings of fulfillment and happiness, and even, for the special few, the sustained thrill of living of an authentic life.This hasn’t happened. Over the last 40 years or so, life is not trending toward more fulfillment for women; life is, in most ways we can measure, becoming more draining instead. To use Thomas Jefferson’s words, though women now have the liberty to choose whichever life they’d like, many are struggling in their pursuit of a happy life.

Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/marcus-buckingham/whats-happening-to-womens_b_289511.html

Sure enough – What’s going on?
Although the above article cites that the unhappiness is not because of women working more hours but I would most certainly say that what has happened in the last 40 years or so has seen more women in the workforce and the happiness levels have gone down, no matter how hard we are trying to “un”complicate our lives. To work two shifts certainly drains out the woman and how can you expect a “happy return”? Of course there are exceptions everywhere but in general women must try their best to ease off on multitasking and begin delegating more.

What are your thoughts on this topic? Please comment.


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