It's not news that Americans in general work too much. The cult of busy-ness, work hard/play hard, the list of sayings to describe our work habits is a long one. Equally long is the list of studies showing how this lifestyle might actually be harming us. 

The American Heart Association found that people under the age of 50 had a higher risk of stroke when working over 10 hours a day for a decade or more. Other studies, conducted across multiple countries, concluded that people who worked long hours were more likely to become excessive drinkers.

It might be nice to think about quitting your job in a dramatic fashion and running away to a tropical island. But this is not reality for most people, nor would it necessarily provide you with the purpose and identity you truly desire. Instead, consider altering your current situation with bridge employment. 

Traditionally, the term bridge employment refers to a temporary job one takes after leaving full-time career employment but before full time retirement. These jobs are usually part-time and diverge greatly from the original career path. As the employment landscape continues to change and more and more people are exploring many sequential and even parallel careers, we choose to expand the use of the term to cover all of these scenarios and more:

1. Full Time Career -- Retirement

2. Full Time Career -- New Full Time Career

3. Full Time Career -- New Part Time Career

4. Military Service -- New Career

5. Caregiver -- New Career 

The benefit of bridge employment is that it can be tailored to suit both the financial and physiological needs of each person. And the journey can consist of several sequential bridges that carry you along a journey that suits your changing lifestyle and needs. The concept opens up so many interesting possibilities to explore including simply taking time to gain some perspective and figure out your next big step.

As with any transformational change, developing a strategy is always a good place to start and through it you could realize that simple solutions can often address your challenge or help you make the transition. A strategy helps you define and articulate what is important to you and provides a framework through which you can evaluate opportunities, requests, and general demands on your time. Most importantly, it helps you say 'No' to the things that don't align.