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" Whether you&amp;#039;re climbing the corporate ladder or building your own home business, harboring negative feelings about your job can poison every aspect of your life. Here&amp;#039;s the good news: &amp;quot;While it may not always feel like it, we are each in charge of our own work-life balance,&amp;quot; says Cathie Black, president of Hearst Magazines (which publishes REDBOOK!) and author of the new book Basic Black: The Essential Guide for Getting Ahead at Work (and in Life). Read on for Black&amp;#039;s tips on how you can call the shots -- and create success -- in your own life.  Break the rules once in a while.  You&amp;#039;ve had a brilliant brainstorm -- but it&amp;#039;s a tough sell to your boss. You may have more luck if you buck protocol -- skip the memo your boss usually prefers and get your plan off the ground without getting a green light first. &amp;quot;If you know your boss well, what&amp;#039;s the worst that&amp;#039;s going to happen?&amp;quot; asks Black. &amp;quot;Someone&amp;#039;s going to get mad at you? Big deal!&amp;quot; Even if your boss doesn&amp;#039;t like the results, she&amp;#039;ll likely respect your fortitude. In turn, you can be proud of having taken a risk -- and feel secure about taking others down the line.  Never panic.  You suddenly realize that you sent a client the strongly worded email you meant to send to your boss about that client. Don&amp;#039;t freak out: Every-one makes mistakes at work. The secret is to keep screw-ups from snowballing into bigger catastrophes. &amp;quot;You can&amp;#039;t do your best work when you&amp;#039;re in panic mode,&amp;quot; says Black. To get a grip after a flub, go for a coffee or a short walk to clear your mind. Then make a plan: Who can help you? What damage control can you do? A concrete plan will push you forward and stop you from dwelling on the problem. Don&amp;#039;t take work personally.  It&amp;#039;s difficult not to take work slights -- real or perceived -- to heart. Watching your coworkers go out for a planning lunch without you or hearing someone shoot down your idea hurts. But ruminating on office politics only keeps you from focusing on what&amp;#039;s most important: your job. &amp;quot;While you let things fester, everyone else has returned to work, leaving you in their dust,&amp;quot; says Black. And no matter how tough things get, don&amp;#039;t ever let them see you cry at the office. It&amp;#039;s a sign to everyone else -- and yourself -- that you&amp;#039;ve lost your cool. Next time your eyes well up over some criticism or comment, ask yourself if it&amp;#039;s really worth your tears. Just disappear for a while instead to pull yourself together, says Black, and then move on with your day.  Value your experience and your time.  &amp;quot;Many women are so concerned with being liked and wanting to please,&amp;quot; says Black, &amp;quot;that they don&amp;#039;t speak up and ask for a raise for fear they&amp;#039;ll be rejected.&amp;quot; Don&amp;#039;t make this mistake! Get smart about your worth. Black suggests meeting with your human resources department to discuss where you fit in on your company&amp;#039;s pay scale. Also check out online job boards to determine what the average salary is for someone with your education, experience, job responsibilities, and title. Then schedule a meeting with your boss. &amp;quot;Lay out your case carefully and listen closely to her feedback,&amp;quot; says Black. &amp;quot;If you&amp;#039;ve presented a persuasive argument, she&amp;#039;ll be impressed by your research and drive -- and will probably consider your proposal.&amp;quot;  Don&amp;#039;t try to have it all.  Just because women can do anything doesn&amp;#039;t mean we should do everything. Over-promising at work and at home will likely result in under-delivering -- and not only will you disappoint your boss, your kids, or your husband, you&amp;#039;ll also feel guilty and be less productive. Instead, be honest about your priorities. Do you want to be the captain or can you feel good about being a valuable team player? Do you want to be an ever-present parent or will you feel better contributing to the family income? &amp;quot;Keep reevaluating your life,&amp;quot; says Black. &amp;quot;Ask yourself, What kind of life do I want?&amp;quot; Being candid with yourself and those you love is the only way to carve out the work-life balance that&amp;#039;s right for you. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.redbookmag.com/life/money-career/advice/a2299/take-charge-at-work/>