Rat race got you down? Some ancient advice works best

— -- Gladys:

I am a professional writer for executives and am increasingly finding myself in a funk about my business. It's not that the business is doing poorly — quite the opposite. Last year I booked $250,000 in billings (my all-time best), and this year will get close to that. No, my problem is between my ears. There have been long patches where the joy has been lost. It might be dealing with difficult clients, it might be a lack of big jobs coming in and it might just be that I'm getting tired of having to constantly chase the business. I'll stop and think of how rotten my last months at my former corporate position were and that may snap me out of my blues for a while, but I'm getting worried that the "fire in the belly" is getting lower. It's not as much fun as it used to be, Gladys, and that worries me a great deal. Any advice? —T.I.

Seeking new business and dealing with difficult clients is part of being an entrepreneur and will always be with you.

From the symptoms you describe, it sounds like you should put a little more balance into your life. When we lose the "joy" in doing something it is more a matter of the heart than, as you put it, something "between the ears." Putting your life into balance will bring a sense of renewal.

Perhaps it's time to add a bit of variety to your life. When we find ourselves doing the same thing over and over, we lose the joy. Not just the joy of being in business but also in other aspects of life.

The idea of creating a balance in life in order to get more out of it is not new; it's been around for thousands of years.

Several weeks ago I met Phil, a man who makes a living as a feng shui consultant. Feng shui is the ancient Chinese practice of positioning objects to promote a healthy flow of chi (energy) and bring balance into the practitioner's life.

Phil explained that feng shui recognizes nine stations in life that need to be balanced and in harmony. He uses a bagua, which is like a feng shui "map." The bagua divides your home into nine sections that correspond to the nine main areas in your life.