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.

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?

Do you share your Netflix cue with a loved one? My husband George and I have a running debate over the movies on our cue. We both like interesting story lines across genres (drama, comedy, action, adventure). We differ on our tolerance for violence (mine is lower) and our expectation for a feel-good ending (mine in higher).

Research has found that, for those who practice mindfulness (i.e., those who really live in the moment), movies can affect mood even after the credits roll. Clearly not an exhaustive list by any stretch, below is a list of 10 movies that had a longer-lasting influence for us, whether motivating or mood-elevating:

1. Erin Brockovich
2. Freedom Writers
3. Miracle
4. Pay it Forward

About 20 years ago I was given a piece of well-intentioned but rather bad advice. I was advised to tone down my positive affect in the workplace – specifically, to stop smiling so much. If you are reading this and know me personally you are probably smiling at the thought of me, in my 20’s, in front of a mirror working on not smiling. If you don’t know me personally, I’ll share data point: at the photo shoot for this website, the photographer noted that I had only one “look” that worked – smiling. The others, he correctly noted, looked unnatural (scary, if you ask me).

At the start of the 2010 I wrote a blog post based on your responses to my request for songs to add to my play list for the gym. The result was a blog post which included a list of 35 songs to energize and motivate. Given that this is a career and work-life harmony blog, I was surprised that in four months this post has become one of the most searched posts. Trust me, I am not complaining -- any positive and natural way to increase our energy is a wonderful contribution.

Interactions today are fleeting. Information availability is overwhelming. Our attention is diverted easily as we are inundated with competing demands on our cognitive and emotional resources.

I, for one, want 2010 to be about quality (not quantity). My New Year’s resolution is to practice mindfulness – to live moment and be more present.