Recent Articles From EvanCarmichael.com http://www.evancarmichael.com/ http://www.evancarmichael.com/Work-Life/1774/Balancing-Activities--Free-or-$20-or-less.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Work-Life/1774/Balancing-Activities--Free-or-$20-or-less.html No time for balance? No money for balancing activities in your budget? Time and money - likely excuses for why things do not happen in our every day lives. And yet, it doesn't have to be that way. It is often the simple things in life that bring us the most joy and the most balance. And yet we tend to forget that when we are stressed and out of balance. Createyour own Balance Sheet of the things that will bring more balance to your life. Debbie Lessin will get you started by providing a short list of Balancing Activities that won't break the bank, things that you can do for free or less than $20! Debbie encourages you to think outside your box and remember that the only number on this balance sheet is #1 - YOU! http://www.evancarmichael.com/Work-Life/1774/The-Life-Balance-Lessons-of-Mary-Poppins.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Work-Life/1774/The-Life-Balance-Lessons-of-Mary-Poppins.html Look deep and you'll be able to find life balance lessons in many day to day events, books, movies and television shows. Debbie shares her review of Mary Poppins, the muscial from a life balance perspective. Seeing the movie as a 10 year old girl and now seeing the musical 45 years later Debbie examines Mary Poppins through eyes that have lived a life, a life obsessed about balance! Get ready to "go fly a kite" and look at this fun and timeless musical story in a new and different way. http://www.evancarmichael.com/Work-Life/1774/30-Days-in-the-Life-of-a-Balanced-CPA-after-April-15th.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Work-Life/1774/30-Days-in-the-Life-of-a-Balanced-CPA-after-April-15th.html Debbie Lessin, CPA, entrepreneur and self proclaimed Balance Lady chronicles the first thirty days of her life after April 15th, her big work deadine. A seasoned entrepreneur for 25 years, Debbie shares her life openly, honestly and with a sense of humor. Interwoven through out are tips on living a balanced life and just balance means, especially for Debbie. From friends and family to work and play, from mind and body to heart and soul, Debbie's adventures just might give you some insight into ways to add balance to your own life. Debbie lives a single urban city life in Chicago, IL. Just because her life might be different than yours in many ways doesn't mean that you won't be agree with some of her philosophies, empathize with her stories and relate them to your own life. Life is a Balancing Act and Debbie's 30 day journey proves it. http://www.evancarmichael.com/Work-Life/1774/I-Had-a--Life-During-Tax-Season.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Work-Life/1774/I-Had-a--Life-During-Tax-Season.html Debbie Lessin, a CPA and entrepreneuer for 25 years has been on a "balance quest" for 15 years. On the occassion of her 25th business anniversy she surprised herself by actualy having a life in the midst of the hectic time known as "tax season". Debbie shares' her 2009 journey and the lessons learned from seasons past in how after all these years she not only worked hard but played too. An accountant expects to be focused on balance. But that balance is usually found at the end of a column of numbers. Debbie found her balance this year to have be life focused too! Read how Debbie worked 5% less and was 100% happier, a trade-off that she'd opt for every year. http://www.evancarmichael.com/Work-Life/1774/Relying-on-My-Inner-Debbie.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Work-Life/1774/Relying-on-My-Inner-Debbie.html In tax season, stress comes with the territory. From working long hours in a compacted time period to balancing 200 clients at once, it is easy to have a stressful day. Balance is a luxury when work is your number one priority. And yet, how many times do we let the little things change a day from bad to worse? Little things that in the overall scheme of life simply are not very important. Debbie Lessin, the tax lady and balance queen, shares her newfound sense of balance this tax season in surviving the little things. From a car that would not start unexpectedly on a cold winter morning to an attack of spring ants to no internet on a Monday morning, Debbie shocked even herself in relying on her "inner Debbie" to let things just roll off her back. By sharing in her story, Debbie hopes that you find your "inner Debbie" to help guide you. http://www.evancarmichael.com/Work-Life/1774/Balance-Quest--Mission-Accomplished.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Work-Life/1774/Balance-Quest--Mission-Accomplished.html Debbie Lessin has been on a quest to balance her life since her business turned 10 and she was about to turn 40. Fast forward 15 years. D J Lessin & Associates, Inc celebrates it's 25 year business anniversary and Debbie is about to turn - well you do the math!. After her 15 year Balance Quest, much to her own surprise, this year during the hectic frenetic pace that is tax season, Debbie seems to have finally reached her goal of having a balanced life, at least for this year! http://www.evancarmichael.com/Work-Life/1774/The-Balance-Lady-is-out-of-Balance.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Work-Life/1774/The-Balance-Lady-is-out-of-Balance.html Written as a New Years' Promise to Myself on January 2, 2009, I chose not to share my quandry until now. The death of my father in 2008 put my life so out of balance in a way that I never anticipated. It's a natural phase of life, but one that often clearly took me by surprise. Re-reading my thoughts now (end of April 2009) and ready to share my joys of new found balance, I can smile, take a deep breathe and know that "this too did pass". Time is a healer and so is a committment to to continually making balance a regular part of your life. Even the "Balance Lady" can be out of extremely out of balance! But listenng to my own advice, taking it step by step, going back to the basics, I too found my way back to balance. And now, I want to share those personal thoughts as 2008 came to pass and 2009 became my year of hope and promise. http://www.evancarmichael.com/Work-Life/1774/Growth-at-What-Cost.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Work-Life/1774/Growth-at-What-Cost.html On the occasion of her 10 year business anniversary, Debbie Lessin began to question where her entreprenurial path was taking her. She was pretty sure that she was done growing her business, opting instead to have a life! This was the true beginning of her quest for balance. Debbie shares an article she wrote in May 1994 where she questioned her business growth and asked out loud some of the questions she continues to ask to this day. As Debbie approachs her 25th business anniversary so many of the things Debbie knew then still hold true today. Whether you are celebrating a business milestone or simply questioning your own growth path, see if you Debbie's story rings true for you in any way. http://www.evancarmichael.com/Work-Life/1774/Cycles-of-Balance--Creating-a-Balance-Wheel.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Work-Life/1774/Cycles-of-Balance--Creating-a-Balance-Wheel.html Cycle of life. Cycles of balance. The world often seems like a wheel spinning out of control. Take control of creating balance in your own life by examining these cycles of your life. Easy steps to create and examine a personalized Balance Wheel are provided to help you focus and start your balance journey. A practical visualiztion that you can do for yourself that reflects not only the important of different aspects of your life but honestly ranks a satisfaction score in these same areas. A tool that you can refer to and update time and time again. http://www.evancarmichael.com/Work-Life/1774/Summer-HoursLost-in-Transition.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/Work-Life/1774/Summer-HoursLost-in-Transition.html As much as we may try to control the events in our lives, life sometimes has a mind of it's own. A firm believer in "Summer Hours", a time to work less and play more, this year because of the death of my father, my summer hours have in fact become lost in transition. Reflective of the knowing insights that this significant event and my new family responsibilities have created, I share my memories and the internal quest to find a new semblance of balance, a work in progress as I seek not to become lost in the transistion.