We’ve been led to believe that work-life balance is the holy grail of working mom life.
I spent years chasing that elusive ideal.
Where my personal life and professional life were constantly balanced.
Where I wasn’t feeling that push and pull between the two, along with the ever-present guilt.
Where I was fully “present” at work {and not thinking about home} when I was at work and fully “present” at home {and not thinking about work} when I was at home.
Where everything was “perfect”.
In truth, I've learned that work-life balance is a myth.
Let’s dismantle this ideal and stop wasting valuable time and mental energy chasing it.
1. “Work-life balance” is too narrow and implies that work and “life” are competing with each
other.
In truth, work is simply part of life, along with many other factors that enrich our lives.
Add that we can lean in to the passion we have for our work. We don’t have to choose one thing over another.
2. Work-life balance implies a 50/50 split between the two and that very rarely happens {nor should
it}.
There are times that we’ll choose to lean into work, mom’ing, our relationship with our spouse, our friends, our parents, or our relationship with ourselves {YES, prioritizing our own mental or physical health, for example}. And having the confidence to make those choices is a beautiful thing.
{Side note: it’s always a choice…we *choose* how we prioritize our time, we don’t *have* to do anything}
We can FEEL balanced (or aligned), regardless of how much time we spend in any one area. Think quality over quantity.
And that leads me to the most important reason why “work-life balance” is BS…
3. Work-life balance implies a “place” to get to or a “thing” to achieve, when it’s NOT.
Work-life balance, or alignment between all areas of our life, is really a FEELING.
Good news friends: we can cultivate this feeling with our THOUGHTS.
Identify what thoughts you would need to think to cultivate a feeling of balance or
alignment.
Practice these thoughts:
“I get to decide how I want to prioritize my time.”
“I spend my time in a way that is just right for me.”
“I am worthy because of who I am, not by how much I accomplish.”
“I have plenty of time to do what I want to do.”
Call to action:
Let’s redefine work-life balance and stop chasing the myth.
If this resonates, check out my guide where I highlight 5 ways working moms can enjoy their lives more with less stress, less overwhelm and less worry:
http://page.traceysmithlifecoach.com/moms
Reach out and let me know how this lands for you. I’d love to know your thoughts on this!
Tracey@TraceySmithLifeCoach.com
