{"id":5357,"date":"2014-03-20T12:01:41","date_gmt":"2014-03-20T16:01:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lessonsfromarecoveringdoormat\/?p=5357"},"modified":"2014-03-27T10:41:46","modified_gmt":"2014-03-27T14:41:46","slug":"has-the-economy-changed-your-work-life-balance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lessonsfromarecoveringdoormat\/2014\/03\/has-the-economy-changed-your-work-life-balance.html","title":{"rendered":"Has the Economy Changed Your Work-Life Balance?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Headshot\"<\/a>Do you feel like your life is changing with the changing economy? It can really throw off your work-life balance. Today my guest is Bob Epperly<\/strong><\/a>, author of Growing Up After Fifty: From Exxon Executive to Spiritual Seeker<\/strong><\/a>,. He worked in management at Exxon Research and Engineering Co. for more than 20 years, finally becoming a general manager, and later was a senior executive in two startup companies. Having spent much of his professional life creating win-win environments for employees and employers and co-authoring a book entitled, \u201cInteractive Career Development: Integrating Employer and Employee Goals\u201d, he now coaches people who seek life-transforming career change. During the last quarter century, he has made spiritual self-realization and psychological integration his top priorities. Epperly and his wife, Sarah, live in Mountain View, Calif., and have three grown children and four grandchildren.\u00a0 Below he shares suggestions for improving your life:<\/p>\n

Has an Employer\u2019s Market Further Skewed Work-Life Balance?<\/strong>
\n5 Tips for Ensuring a Desirable Lifestyle\u00a0<\/em>
\nBy: Bob Epperly<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

With the unemployment rate below 7 percent, lower than it was even five years ago and down from a peak of 10 percent in October 2009, many are breathing a sigh of relief. But the effects of a long bout of high unemployment are sure to have thrown off the balance of employee well-being.\"epperly<\/a><\/p>\n

The jobless rate does not take into account those who are underemployed, including over-skilled workers in menial jobs and those with too few hours. For those lucky enough to have decent employment, many feel insecure and are willing to skew their work-life balance into a tailspin, with exaggerated emphasis on their career.<\/p>\n

I was a CEO and former Exxon general manager when I realized at age 55 that the joys of even a very successful career cannot make up for what\u2019s missing when we neglect the other parts of our lives. Since most people cannot afford to simply refuse the demands of their job, here are some tips for correcting a work-lifestyle imbalance:<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0It\u2019s never enough.<\/strong> Ambition is admirable, but if it\u2019s all that drives you, no matter how much you accomplish, it will never be enough. If professional ambition is more important to you than anything else in your life, that\u2019s a red flag that your life is dangerously unbalanced. The consequences will be painful feelings of emptiness, lack of fulfillment, and having missed out. Take steps now to restore balance, beginning with personal, non-work relationships.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0No one ever says, at the end of their life, that they should have worked longer and spent less time with family<\/strong>. When it\u2019s all said and done, life is short, and many realize that time is life\u2019s most precious resource. Intense focus on work tends to deprive professionals of opportunities with their loved ones \u2013 moments and memories that cannot be replaced. Set goals for how much time you\u2019ll spend giving your family 100 percent of your attention each day and week, and stick to them!<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Make communication a top priority!<\/strong> The importance and value of real communication cannot be overemphasized. More important than speaking is listening. My relationships immediately improved when I began listening very carefully to what was being said.
\n\u2022
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Only you are responsible for your life<\/strong>. The Serenity Prayer goes a long way in work-life balance; it reads: \u201cGod, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.\u201d Recognizing that I am responsible for my life and focusing on the aspects of it over which I have influence, while recognizing those I need to release, has been pivotal.
\n\u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Accept who you are.<\/strong> This can be challenging; it demands courageous self-reflection and letting go of the need for external approval. When a friend asked me, \u2018Do you think the world is ready to accept Bob Epperly just as he is?\u2019 I suddenly saw that I had always felt I had to accommodate; that I wasn\u2019t okay as I am. I started to give myself permission to be me.
\n*************<\/p>\n

Join The Self-Love Movement\u2122!<\/strong><\/a> Take the 31 Days of Self-Love Commitment<\/strong><\/a>—\u201cI commit to do my best to do something loving for myself, however big or small, for the next 31 days<\/strong>.<\/strong>\u201d<\/strong>\u00a0and get my book, How Do I Love Me? Let Me Count the Ways<\/a><\/strong> for free at http:\/\/howdoiloveme.com<\/a><\/strong>. Read my 2014 31 Days of Self-Love Posts HERE<\/strong><\/a>. Join the Self-Love Movement\u2122<\/strong><\/a>! on Facebook<\/strong><\/a>. Watch the video<\/strong><\/a> made with Hoobastank’s song–The reason–that illustrates the power of self-love.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Do you feel like your life is changing with the changing economy? It can really throw off your work-life balance. Today my guest is Bob Epperly, author of Growing Up After Fifty: From Exxon Executive to Spiritual Seeker,. He worked in management at Exxon Research and Engineering Co. for more than 20 years, finally becoming…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":83,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14,2],"tags":[908,917],"class_list":["post-5357","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-positive-mental-attitude","category-self-empowerment-confidence","tag-bob-epperly","tag-worklife-balance"],"yoast_head":"\nHas the Economy Changed Your Work-Life Balance? - Lessons from a Recovering Doormat<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, nofollow\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Has the Economy Changed Your Work-Life Balance? - Lessons from a Recovering Doormat\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Do you feel like your life is changing with the changing economy? 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Let Me Count the Ways, a She's appeared on hundreds of TV and radio shows, including Oprah, Howard Stern, and Good Morning America and has been quoted in dozens of publications, including the New York Times, Chicago Sun-Times, Cosmopolitan, Redbook, Marie Claire, and Men\u00b9s Health. After being a consummate People Pleaser who felt unworthy of getting her own needs met for many years, Daylle found a path of self-love that enabled her to build her self-esteem and reinvent herself into a dual career. She learned to get taken seriously without being overtly assertive when she became one of the first women to start an independent record label (on a dare!) and learned to play ball nicely and successfully in an industry dominated by men. To help independent musicians empower themselves, Daylle writes music business books for Billboard\/Random House, including the very popular Start & Run Your Own Record Labe and I Don't Need a Record Deal! Daylle's books have been translated into over 10 languages and are popular around the world. She speaks for colleges, organizations and corporations. Through her company, Project Self-Empowerment, Daylle creates programs and materials to help people empower themselves. One goal is to raise the money to self-publish her book, How Do I Love Me? Let Me Count the Ways and give it away for free in colleges and through organizations, to give thanks for all her blessings. 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