I had a client tell me something last week that I haven’t stopped thinking about, and I felt compelled to share it with you.
She was in a hotel with her family the night before dropping her daughter off at sleep-away camp. When everyone went to bed, she was closing a deal. Under the covers. With a flashlight.
Her husband was not thrilled. Her kids were a little annoyed (especially her daughter).
Here’s what she told me, and it’s the whole reason I’m writing this: she realized there was only so much she could do, and she let go of the outcome. She stopped needing every person in her life to be happy with her in that exact moment. And she said she felt like she was operating at peak greatness once she accepted it.
Can we talk about work-life balance for a second? It’s a myth (I’ve said this before, I’ll say it again, I’ll say it until I’m blue in the face). Balance implies two equal, stable sides of a scale, calmly holding steady. That is not parenthoodhood. That is not leadership. That is not real life. Real life is everywhere and nowhere at once, all the time, and if you’re waiting to feel “balanced” before you feel successful, you’re going to wait forever!!
The very next day, she told her team not to bother her unless it was an emergency. She was unreachable during camp drop off so she could be fully present with her daughter. No apology, no over explaining. Just a boundary.
What my client was describing was blend. Integration. She was present the night before for her client. She was present at drop off. She told me, “It’s ok to be the imperfect wife. I did the absolute best I could to prioritize what needed it in that 12-hour span”.
Nobody teaches this idea. It’s not about doing it all simultaneously forever. It’s about knowing when to blend and when to plant your flag. She said it best: “I can stand in my own decisions.”
That’s leadership. That’s parenting. That’s the whole game, actually.
You will not make everyone happy in every moment (not your spouse, not your boss, not your kid, not yourself if you’re being honest). Stop auditioning for that outcome. Start standing in your decisions instead.