Vacations give us a much-needed break from work and responsibilities. They're a time to have fun, new adventures, rest and relaxation. In our fast-paced, over-scheduled and stress-filled lives, we often overlook the value of these benefits.

What I uncovered was this total belief that I had to be highly active in order to be okay with what I was doing in the world. That if I didn't wake up slightly stressed by all the meetings and deadlines I had on my plate for the day, I wasn't doing enough to make a difference.

How do you feel when you're rushing? Perhaps there's a bit of positive excitement, but if you're like me, there's mostly, if not entirely, a sense of tension, discomfort, and anxiety. This kind of stress isn't pleasant for the mind, and over time it's really bad for the body.

Is it challenging for you to find time to relax without losing your drive? When in constant work mode, we can feel like a production machine, but we can also feel afraid to relax for fear of falling into a non-working rut.

We are all incredibly busy. But, Emerson's quote reminds me that "busyness" alone will never bring us the success of which he speaks. In fact, I'm starting to understand that a life based solely on "busyness" risks the opposite of success.

If you are courageous and selective about the things you commit to, I promise you that your life will get easier. You will be able to free yourself from undue stress and guilt if you can reduce the amount of things you agree to do.

Many of the changes that come through our ever-evolving lives create stressful moments. Who hasn't lost sleep over worrying about an exam, a sick child or an important meeting at work, the loss of a loved one?

You don't have to listen to hippie music or burn incense. You don't need a meditation space. Make the world your meditation space. Make your desk, the free throw line, the jog out in the park your meditation space.

What is the solution to finding more time for what matters while still succeeding at work? There is no magic formula, but I would like to share three basic ideas for how we can begin to tame our calendars and achieve better balance.

What I've come to understand is that courage isn't the absence of fear at all. It's taking an action or risk, making a move or decision in spite of it, and here are some of the tools that I found were handy.