by DJ Triplett

Created on: September 30, 2008   Last Updated: October 16, 2008

Today's world is far more complicated than of years my grandparents spoke of. A hard day's work on the farm seemed to have balance created within the day. With the melee of contraptions, daily barrage of media, false lighting, fast foods, and the drive to succeed having gotten the better of most of us, we lead a simple, balanced life no more.

Sure, we can shut off the television, disconnect our computers, and re-introduce ourselves to our families. The fact is that we have to be at a near-melt-down before we will pay attention to what our bodies are telling us; we are over-working and under-playing. Stress is an important factor and major contributor to problems in our lives, causing obesity, high blood pressure, and turning into Mr. Hyde. Our organs shut down when under stress, and we go into that "fight or flight" action, where we feel for just a few seconds that we could fight King Kong. If we remain under this "fight-or-flight" reaction for long periods of time, we can actually suffer from "adrenal burnout," for which there is no cure, and the result is ultimately death.

Everyone seems to know a solution to the overworked-underpaid-rarely-appreciated problem, and within nearly all solutions is the word, "balance." Find balance in your life and your life will be better! Yet, when the bills need paid, the babies are crying, and dinner is burning on the stove, its hard to even remember to seek balance.

A solution? Pick your battles! Yes, choose what you react to. We all want, whether you care to believe it or not, two things: power and control. If we are out of control, we have lost our power; if we have lost our power, we are out of control. Decide what will be important in your life, and let the other stuff go! Don't let the fact that some aggrivated driver cut you off on the freeway ruin the rest of your day. It isn't important. If your significant other wants to eat Italian food but you want Mexican food, make him/her happy and have what you want tomorrow night! When you find yourself getting angry at something, remember you control your reactions. Let the need to control everything around you go!

Eliminate what is really unnecessary in your life, and focus on what will help you accomplish a goal. Write your goals down so you can remember that is what you are striving for. Drop the unimportant tasks that you assign yourself so you won't have to get down to the real business of living.

The most important thing I found in my own life when I discovered I was a

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