Australians are losing their laidback, carefree reputation, as we continue to work longer hours, exercise less and neglect our leisure and family time. Recent research indicates that 67 per cent of Australian professionals spend at least 20 hours a week thinking about their job when they should be relaxing, and less than half take their entitled annual leave. Why is juggling work and life priorities an increasingly difficult challenge for many people? Could it be we are trying to pack more and more into our busy lives?

Well, most people are aware of their tendency to overload on work or information but simply don't know what to do to get their life back to a healthy balance. Being successful isn't only about your career and your possessions, it's about waking up every day and feeling good about the person you are and the life that you have created.

Many people are searching for ways to achieve positive and lasting change both in and out of work. So what are the secrets to a healthy work life balance in a busy and demanding world?

Here are the Top 5 ways you can get the life you deserve.

1. WORK AT BEING AN OPTIMIST AND TAKE ACTION.

Take a positive attitude to life, get out and do things. Make things happen and take action.

2. HAVE A STRONG SELF BELIEF.

Believe in your potential to create the life you really want for you and your family.

3. EXERCISE REGULARLY AND EAT WELL.

Your physiology directly influences the quality of your life.

4. VISUALISE HAPPY ENDINGS, SCHEDULE FUN AND KEEP LIFE SIMPLE.

Make time to enjoy life. To laugh. To take time out.

5. FIND PERSPECTIVE.

Take the helicopter view to see the big picture and delegate if you can't do it all yourself.

Thomas Murrell

Thomas Murrell is an International Business Speaker and Managing Director of 8M Media and Communications, an integrated media, marketing and management consulting company.

Described by BRW Magazine as "committed to using creativity as a competitive edge", he is recognised as an expert on how to be media and marketing savvy.

His Integrity Marketing, Brand Building and Winning the Media Game topics are full of real life experiences and practical advice.

In a former life he was a TV and radio personality, executive producer and senior media executive … describing his 12 years at the Australian Broadcasting Corporation as an "apprenticeship".

The author of Media Fundamentals, How to Turn Your Big Marketing Idea into a Competitive Advantage and Web Marketing Essentials, he has just released his signature Media & Marketing Masterclass™ series on six interactive CD-ROMs.

He uses metaphors from his experience as a National Junior Hammer Throw Champion to demonstrate the “power of positive spin” and a Vincent Fairfax Fellowship helps put this within the context of ethical leadership.

Media Motivators is his regular electronic magazine read by 7,000 marketing and PR professionals in 15 different countries. You can subscribe by visiting http://www.8mmedia.com/

Write to Thomas Murrell at tom@8mmedia.com/.