Work-related freedom over our time looks very different for each of us: Your child has a fever. (You stay home.) You need to study for an exam. (You go to the library instead of the office.) The surf’s up. (You head for the beach and work in the evening.)

Don’t most of us want a fulfilling career which would also enable us to flex our time, as needed, to attend to family, social, or other life priorities? Of course we do. Well, we think we do.

Full freedom to direct time, as needed, to balance the spheres of one’s life seems as though it should be positive for all. There are caveats, two specifically.

This work-life harmony blog is ONE year old today!

Your suggestions for ways to make year two better than year one are most welcome and always deeply appreciated. I continue to be humbled by the wonderful response to this blog and thank everyone for the comments and questions. I encourage you to keep them coming. If you do not want to comment directly on this blog, please send your comments and questions to me via email at paula@paulacaligiuri.com.

All birthdays need presents, right? For this blog's 1st birthday, it was given a few new features. They are:

I love the concept of gardening -- connecting with the earth, the beauty of flowers and plants, the feeling of accomplishment.

Sigh. If my garden had eyes, they would be rolling. If it had a mouth, it would be laughing -- or, more likely, complaining. As far as I know, there is not a Society for the Protection of Cruelty to Plants; if there was, I am certain I would be some list. My Mom, Dad, husband George, and some local kids who are saving money to by iPods have (thankfully) come to the rescue of my thirsty, rocky, and weedy garden. It looks great, no thanks to me.

We all need vacations, time off to recharge our mental and physical batteries. I believe we all have a personal meter that tells us when we are over-heating and need to switch off for a while to avoid burnout. Research conducted by Air New Zealand in conjunction with former NASA scientists found that individuals’ post-vacation performance improved nearly 25% compared to performance before vacation.

You really do not need to be a NASA scientist to understand that vacations are good for the body, soul, and career. But, here’s the big question: what is your idea of a “great vacation”?

Is there anyone on the planet who does not know that Spain won the 2010 World Cup last week? My Spanish friends (and every news agency in the world) shared images of the celebrations permeating each calle and plaza in Spain last Sunday. The emotional rush was contagious, seeing the Spaniards celebrate their team with unbridled enthusiasm and happiness.

I wonder how many of them made it to work the following Monday?

There are many myths about career-related issues that tend to manifest as misplaced concerns when folks are on the job market. On the Newark-to-Houston leg of a recent flight to Brazil, I was sitting next to someone who was flying to Texas to interview for a marketing job with a small firm. He was hoping to land the role but was worried about working for a small company.

We chatted. His underlying concern was how this small company will "look" on his résumé. This concern is a common one based on a myth that is fully perpetuated by those who are applying old rules to a new employment reality. The root of my Newark-to-Houston armrest-mate’s concern is that one’s past employers’ big names are clear indicators of professional worth.

On a recent trip to Paris, my husband George and I went to visit Jim Morrison’s grave. George is a fan of The Doors. I, quite honestly, did not even know Jim Morrison was buried in Paris. While I would have preferred a Sunday afternoon stroll through Tuileries Gardens or a long lunch on Île Saint-Louis, George’s off-key rendition of “Break on Through (to the Other Side)” sung each morning for the week we were in Paris was more than a subtle hint that he was committed to paying his respects to the deceased rock legend. Heck, it was in the guidebook. On our last day in Paris we took a taxi to the Père Lachaise Cemetery.

Here is something that surprised me: I liked the visit.

I appreciate the many career-related questions that are sent to me via email at paula@paulacaligiuri.com. I cannot answer all of them, but I will do my best to write blog posts to address the themes.

One question that I routinely do not answer (OK, dodge) is the “overqualified” question.

I am of the mindset that worrying about being overqualified in this current job market is a bit like worrying that you are too wealthy to retire. In this employment reality, marketable, world-class skills rule. A real issue is whether "overqualified" is a code word for either "too expensive" or some form of age discrimination. Those are real.

Each case is different, very different. Let's consider the question from Jenny:

Dear Paula,

"Get a Life, Not a Job" is now available as an audiobook from Audible.com. The audiobook is unabridged -- 5 hours and 40 minutes.

As an aside, I was curious how long it would take someone to read my book from start to finish. Now I know.

I hope you enjoy it!

Paula

On Friday at 8:30 AM, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released the U.S. jobs report for the month of May. Unemployment is high (9.7%) and private sector job growth is weak. On the same day, stocks fell to their 4-month low, with concerns that high unemployment forecasts lower consumer spending. From Wall Street’s perspective, this makes sense. Main Street, however, might have a different interpretation.

The good news (and there is good news) is the positive direction of the trend line. The trajectory of jobs (lost or created) since January 2009 is heading in the right direction.

Looking deeper than the top-level trend line, however, my optimism is tempered with realism. Consider these: