(Berkley, Michigan) Stress has become the dominating force in our lives, increasing each day and with every new commitment we make to ourselves and to those we love. This heightened level of anxiety is severely impacting our community at a time when it is almost impossible to escape from cell phones, constant communication and an expectation to be productive twenty-four hours a day. While our ever-growing "to-do" lists seem to run our lives, we forget that we need to scale back and focus on those things that are truly important to us, such as our "to be" lists.

According to a new book by Becki Balok, the best way to reduce these pressures is to focus on the proper priority of life, what kind of person you are going to be each day – calm, happy, compassionate, loving, forgiving – in spite of outer circumstances or situations. In Wake Up! Awaken The Spirit Within And You'll Never Be The Same Again (Becalm Publishing Inc. ISBN 0-9662759-0-X, paperback, $12.95), Balok offers many practical spiritual principles that remind us how important it is to remember we are more than what we do.

Balok tells us that questioning our priorities is an essential first step on the path to a more fulfilling life, saying "If we don’t decide what kind of person we want to be, events and circumstances will decide for us. Unless we decide to be kind, we seethe when someone cuts us off on the freeway. Unless we decide to be peaceful, we might be jealous when a co-worker is promoted. Unless we decide to be compassionate, we ignore people who need help. Making time each day to prioritize what type of person we are going to be helps manage stress and improves relationships."

By putting the emphasis on "being" rather than "doing", Balok gives practical, realistic suggestions that can help us improve our lives and return our focus to things that really matter.

While Wake Up! primarily targets adult readers, Balok has also written a book for children called Bouncer and the Stream of Life, which tells a story filled with practical spiritual principles for children that resonates with people of all ages.

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