The Lifeworks Group, Inc.

By: Dwight Bain, LMHC The #AshleyMadisonHack, #JoshDuggar, #JaredSubway and #BillCosby scandals have stunned America the last few days. How could leaders who were so trusted and so well-liked have such dark shocking secrets? Why would someone who had it all- marriage, family, kids, money, career, fame, health- risk it all for fifteen minutes of physical pleasure? If they wanted another marriage partner they could have just legally divorced and gone on to date other people- right? Wouldn’t there have been an easier way to experience an intimate connection that wouldn’t have created so much scandal and shame for themselves and their families?             Reputation ruin comes after secret addicts are discovered by a marriage partner- or in the case of these respected leaders- outed by the media. It’s a major new story when these dark secrets are leaked to the press. But that isn’t new. Did you know there was actually an ancie...

By: Cara Griffin-Locker, IMH As children, thoughts of what we would do when we get older were endless. Our dreams, hopes and aspirations were as big as the world we live in. The desire and need to be successful were not yet as strong as our desire and need for adventure and fun. However, as we grew up, money became inherently more important than our childhood aspirations. It is the powerful tool for building empires and lavish lifestyles. Money can make some people happy and others miserable. For some, in today’s society, the pursuit of money can be directly linked to the pursuit of happiness. The idea that money is the key to happiness is problematic because it often leads people down a career path that may not be meant for them. They choose money over passion and childhood dreams. They choose the materialistic ways of the world, rather than a life of simplicity and passion. Whatever happened to the saying “choose something you like to do and you will never work a day in your lif...

  By Laura Hull,   MA, LMFT   “What am I going to be when I grow up?”    Remember asking that question when we were children?   From the time we were old enough to realize that one day we would have jobs and go to work for real, we pondered the possibilities of what we would one day be.   Maybe we dreamed about being a doctor or a fireman…maybe a rock star.   Maybe we dreamed even bigger.   But for a long time, any thoughts we had about what we wanted for a career were just that, thoughts and dreams.   However, by the time high school was over, real grown up decisions must be made about how to chart a course for our adult lives. Some choose to further their education in college or a trade school, while others join the working force in some capacity.     By the time I was halfway through my undergrad program, I came to the terrible realization that I had made a horrible mistake in what I had chosen to major...

By: Brian M Murray, MS, IMH An unsatisfying career can be a real downer leading to wanting to do something different in life. A career change can be a daunting task and taking into account the many factors as to why a change is needed can seem overwhelming at times. Forbes Magazine reported that Right Management conducted a one month survey from April to May in 2012 on job satisfaction. Only 19% of the 411 respondents reported job satisfaction. Wow, 79% do not like their jobs. Let’s throw in some more factors. A sluggish economy creates a power shift that in some ways can leave a dissatisfied employee feeling stuck in a job they don’t like. Poor cash flow equals no raises or promotions and some companies have resorted to some extreme measures that if a person is so much as 5 minutes late to work they be fired. This begins to create more of a survival mentality of endurance than a real career challenge. The thinking gets changed from “what can I do next to further my career...

By Chris Hammond, MS, IMH You can almost mark the date because everything changed.   The person you thought you knew became entirely different and not for the better.   It is almost cliché that with a mid-life crisis comes the impractical sports car, the extramarital affair, late nights at bars, new friends who are twenty years younger, hipper clothes or a dramatic career change.   While you never thought it would happen to you or your spouse, you find yourself in exactly that place.   How did you ever get here? Erik Erikson defines his seventh psychosocial stage as Generativity vs. Stagnation which occurs in the late thirties until the mid-sixties.   This time period in an adult life encompasses the mid-life crisis years which can begin and end anytime in between.   So what is a mid-life crisis?   It is when an adult evaluates where they are in life compared to the dreams and goals they once had for themselves, to the status of others the...

By Dwight Bain “What does it take to win at work?” People have asked me that question dozens of times after a keynote speech or radio talk show. They wanted to know the action to take to build a successful life instead of being trapped in long term failure. It's a great question, but since every person faces different challenges there isn't a 100% specific answer that works for every person. A better approach is to focus on the real source of motivation by exploring the underlying motives. When you discover the motive behind why you want to win at work you will be on track to shaping a strategic approach to speed toward accomplishing goals and avoiding distractions that lead to failure. Here are some key coaching questions to ask yourself- · Do you want to win at work to deepen your resume to advance your career? · Does success at work mean making more money to bring home to your family? · Does career success give you personal meaning and fulfillment? · Does winn...

10 insights to guide you through stressful events with greater strength by: C. Dwight Bain, Nationally Certified Counselor & Certified Life Coach Life is harder than ever it seems, yet not everyone seems to be completely overwhelmed because of it. Why do some people face major life transitions like financial stress, death, divorce, health problems, job loss, or business problems with a hopeful attitude of rebuilding and recovery while others just want to hide in fear? Everyone will face times of major life crisis, but not everyone will know how to respond to move beyond the challenge today to build confidence tomorrow. Here are ten things about crisis that will help guide you through the process of managing stressful situations to come out stronger on the other side. 1) Crisis events are more common than you thinkEvery time you watch the evening news you are hearing about someone in crisis, but it doesn't really affect you as much because you probably don't know them....