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Do I think it's possible to achieve balance in all areas of life? Well that depends. Is it balance you are trying to achieve or perfection? There is a difference and so many women are trying to do both and end up stressed and overwhelmed. Perfection is impossible. Balance however, is not, but I do feel it requires some compromise, negotiation and delegation to make it happen that is for sure.
For years women bought into the Superwoman Myth, I was definitely one of them, but I do believe the tides are changing and women are finally taking off those extremely outdated cloaks once and for all.
Prioritize
Take stock of the balls you are trying to juggle and keep in the air. Are there too many? Name those balls and then number them in order of importance. What's that list look like? Which balls can you set down.
Compromise and Accept
Are your expectations too high of yourself, are you asking too much? If so you may need to compromise your standards in order to designate more time on what IS important to you. That's okay. Accept and acknowledge your limitations and stop beating yourself up about it. Make changes accordingly.
Negotiate
This involves your family. They need to be involved in their share of the household tasks. Make a list of everything that needs to be done around the house and then negotiate who is going to be responsible for what.
Simplify and Delegate
Are you trying to make things more complicated than they need to be. Scale back. De-clutter your schedules, your house, your work, your friends, you get the idea.
Are there tasks that can be passed on to someone else to free up time and energy?
Embrace Life
Stop apologizing for things that aren't high on your priority list anyway and stop making excuses for the things that are. We all only have the same 24 hours in a day, yet how we spend that time looks differently for everyone. Our priority lists aren't the same. The balls we juggle are not the same. No two people are alike as are no two families but yet we still compare ourselves to one another. It's time to embrace who we are, imperfections and all, in order to truly live and enjoy the lives we've been given.
As for my own life, I don't apologize for the crumbs on my floor anymore. It just isn't a priority to me. If it bothers you when you visit, wear slippers or sweep. Another area I have come to accept is my nervous laughter that bubbles out of me at the absolute worst moments. Good grief! I use to let the guilt consume me and then one day I realized all the time I was wasting worrying and stressing about it. I made the decision then and there that this is who I am, if someone can't accept that then they probably have no business being in my life anyway. Talk about freeing.
Have you been able to get past the superwoman syndrome? I'd love to hear what changes you've made in your own life to make it happen.
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