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The authors of this book have a wide range of expertise between them. Greenberg is a behavioral scientist and "recognized expert on leadership with over 50 articles and books," and Avigdor is a certified career coach and Director of Legal Talent Strategy at Accenture, a global management consulting company. They have subtitled their informative book How New Findings in Positive Psychology Can Lead to a Healthy and Happy Work/Life Balance.
The crux of the matter is that working, which is a necessity for many women, if not most, in the developed world, is not making women happy. It is making women frantic, guilty, and exhausted. This book is designed to show women how to regain their right to work AND be happy. Interspersed with real case histories, the book is geared towards showing working women how to develop useful strategies that will restore their sense of poise and emotional well-being while working "outside the home."
The general topics covered include the importance of choosing your own path no matter what it is, because having done so will empower you, and then not being discouraged by detours, since a detour is also a learning experience (as the Buddhists say, "What's in the path IS the path").
But most important is to love yourself and forgive yourself, just as you love and forgive your family and your friends. My doctor, a working woman, has always urged me to consider exercise as something I get to do for myself, as important as all the things I do for my husband and my employer. And, contrariwise, sleeping late or napping on the weekend is something I have learned to forgive myself for! As the authors emphasize: move (exercise), drink (water) and sleep (yay!).
If you cut slack for others, cut it for yourself. If you demand much from others, you can demand it for yourself, too, but don't lose sight of the goal of simple enjoyment.
The book is about taking a positive view of what your life is about. Keep things in perspective. The method is based on scientific psychological principles, so don't get the idea it's merely meant as inspiration. It suggests practical ways to tweak your working life and your home/relax life to make everything fit together.
By the way, though it isn't strongly stated, the principles in the book would apply equally to women who stay at home and only "take care of the house and kids" (of course we know THAT isn't much work!) and even to men who are having a hard time achieving that balance between duty and relaxation.
So, working mothers, unite and read this book! You have nothing to lose but your stress.
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What Happy Working Mothers Know: How New Findings in Positive Psychology Can Lead to a Healthy and Happy Work/Life Balance
