Author: Dr. Kathleen Hall
ISBN: 0-8144-7334-2
Publisher: AMACOM, American Management Association 

As author Dr. Kathleen Hall notes in the introduction to this wise and inspiring book, the "single greatest threat to our lives" isn't terrorism or environmental pollution. Our most imposing threat, she claims, "is our lifestyle."

Stress, worry, workaholism, extreme competitiveness, depression, obesity, fear of failure, fear of success – all of these factors undermine the quality of our lives and contribute to ill health and unhappiness.  Offering wisdom from her own journey, and a map to saner lifestyle choices, Dr. Hall's handbook contains a wealth of inspiring advice to help us heal and renew a healthier sense of purpose.  

The author speaks from hard-won experience. For years it looked as though she "had it all," and was, in fact, a self-described "success junkie."  In A Life in Balance, she recounts how she pushed herself to attain a brilliant but demanding career with a Wall Street firm, an impressive home, deluxe vacations, gifted children -- all the symbols and trappings of the so-called American dream.  When panic attacks and insomnia threatened to tarnish her highly polished life, Dr. Hall realized it was time to redefine what she previously thought of as "happiness." Making radical changes in her career and lifestyle, she left her high-powered career as a financial advisor and earned a Masters of Divinity from Emory University and a Doctorate in Spirituality from Columbia Theological Seminary. She worked with the homeless and battered women, and studied under Nobel Peace Prize winners President Jimmy Carter, the Dalai Lama, and other renowned spiritual leaders. Meanwhile, she moved her family to a ranch in Georgia. 

"Happiness is choosing a path of certainty," she says, reminding us that living well is so much more than answering a series of social demands and pressures.  "I've come to understand that millions of intelligent, energetic, and ambitious individuals are looking for approaches to bring balance to their lives and work so they may discover daily sources of energy, fulfillment, and intimacy."  Throughout the book, Hall examines why our health-care system is on the brink of collapse and how we can help ourselves heal; why American families are being torn apart and how we can strengthen them; why depression and anxiety are reaching epidemic proportions in our society, and more.

Hall used the acronym S.E.L.F. to outline the solutions contained within her "four roots of happiness" – Serenity, Exercise, Love, and Food.  While the formula may sound simplistic from the get-go, Hall's recommendations in each category are backed with in-depth research as well as profound personal experience. Citing current statistics on cancer, heart disease, and obesity, for example, she clearly demonstrates how and why our relentless drive to "achieve at all costs" is literally killing us.  Borrowing from the mind-body-spirit movement, she offers antidotes for the social ills she criticizes.

"It is time to create new systems that nourish and sustain, rather than diminish and deplete, our families, our businesses, and communities," writes Hall, who is also a regular columnist for Balance and Pink magazines.  Her admirable handbook points the way to a healthier, more rewarding lifestyle, and should be required reading for everyone on the corporate fast track, whether they're at the starting line or on the verge of burnout.

The above review was contributed by:  Cindy La Ferle: Cindy's articles, reviews, and essays have been published in the Christian Science Monitor, Reader's Digest, Literary Mama, MetroParent, Chicken Soup for the Soul, Writer's Digest, and many other regional and national publications.

Her new essay collection, Writing Home, won four awards for creative nonfiction. She serves as Writer-in-Residence for her hometown library in Royal Oak, Mi. She writes a weekly column/blog on her Web site, Cindy's Home Office.

To read more of Cindy's reviews and articles CLICK HERE and to read a conversation Bookpleasures.com had with Cindy by Click Here.