You ever have those days that you feel like a glorified plate spinner?  Ever since I was a caretaker for my dying father, I've had that image in my head of being pulled in so many directions until one of the plates comes crashing to the ground and I'm left to figure out what to do next.  Recently, I feel like I'm back in that mode with work life, family life, author life, home renovation life and oh hey….there's this new transparency thingy. I feel like something has to give in this hyper-drive life that we all live.  So, what do we do about it?  What can we do about it?  Sit in the middle of the floor waiting for someone to save you?  Yeah, that won't work for long.  Say "eff it" and walk away?  That never solved anything either.  But what we can do is check our guilt at the door and put ourselves first.

Leslie and Sue, who are featured in this article, are working hard to foster environments at work and within themselves that promote more of a work-life balance and less of a plate spinning lifestyle.  We all know that at times we have to wear many hats, but connecting with others who can share the load from time to time and having the self-awareness  to realize when you need to "tap out" to deal with life on life's terms can be more rewarding than landing that new client.  Check out what Leslie and Sue are doing to help create some balance for themselves.

Leslie Shields Botvidson, The Shields Agency