Having it All

We grow up being told that we can be whatever we want to be, and have whatever we want if we are willing to work hard enough for it. So we work hard all through school and hope that one day, the investment of our time and money will pay off. Sometimes it does, but sometimes it doesn't.

Currently I'm experiencing a period where it doesn't seem to be paying off, but just over a year ago I thought it was. I was busting my hump daily at a job I thought was going to be a great opportunity to start building my career. I worked long hours and put in more effort than I've put towards anything else in my life. I was finally making decent money, but when I wasn't working I didn't have the time or energy to spend it. I was tired and frustrated, because no matter how hard I tried my work never seemed to be good enough. My social life dwindled, my marriage suffered, and my house was always a wreck. I had what I thought I wanted, a good job, but I seemed to be losing everything else. After I lost that job my husband told me it was a blessing, because I was back to my old self, the person he liked being around.

I know there are people out there who love their jobs, but I have to wonder if you have to basically give up the rest of your life to have a successful career? Can we really not have everything we want? I've met so many people who hate their jobs and can't find another, or know what job they want but it won't support them. Is it possible that the vast majority of people can only have success in one part of their lives?

I think this is especially troubling for women who want to have a career and a family. I don't even have kids and I felt the strain of working full-time and maintaining a home, and I'm lucky enough to have a husband to cooks most of our meals. Before I started working, I thought women who paid someone to clean their homes were lazy. Now I understand that they want to spend what little time they have at home with their families, not doing housework. I don't blame them anymore; I work only part-time and would hire a housekeeper if I could afford it. I get overwhelmed now, so I can only imagine how much worse it is with kids adding to the mess and occupying a big chunk of your schedule.

Having it all probably requires a very delicate balancing act that most people find difficult, if even possible. I'm going to continue enjoying my relatively stress-free life while I can, and hope that the chaos that awaits me is at least fun. Readers, how do you balance work and the rest of your lives?