Achieving the Ever Effervescent Work-Life Balance

How can one strike a healthy work-life balance? Is it possible to be successful both in your professional life and your personal life? These are questions that we all ask ourselves at one or more points in our lives. The fact that you are asking yourself these questions is good. It means you have slowed down enough to evaluate where you are now and where you would like to be heading.

Defining success is a good place to start. Each one of us defines it differently. A good general definition that can apply to anyone is that success is what gives you a feeling of satisfaction and accomplishment. Success depends on what your objectives are. Imagine yourself after retirement looking back on the past 40 years. Do you feel you’ve accomplished something with your life? Do you feel you lived your life to the fullest? Do you feel you’ve left a positive lasting mark on society…on someone…anyone? Is your life now – at retirement – as satisfying as it was before you retired? Have you structured your life so that satisfaction lasts a lifetime?

If your answer to one or more of the above questions is no, you need to re-think your life strategy.

The Night I Dreamt Mubarak Died

Last night I had the weirdest dream.

In the dream, I was walking along a nice street one evening and happened to bump into Egypt’s President, Hosni Mubarak. He was standing on the side of the street watching his driver pull his car out of a parking space. The car had the ability to pivot on its rear wheels. Very cool. I was so fascinated by the car that I told Mubarak in a nice neighborly way that he had a cool car. Mubarak smiled. As I walked away, he called me back. My coat wasn’t tied well from the back. He tied it for me.

Scene 2: I’m in a plane going somewhere and the Egyptian authorities call it back but don’t say why.

Scene 3: I’m standing in my apartment and we get the announcement: President Hosni Mubarak has died.