Can we have it all?

A common misconception among my fellow Superwomen is that you can have it all - at the same time.  Anyone who has tried to accomplish but who has burned out in a matter of weeks, months or years can tell you this does not work in the long run.  Why?  There are only so many hours in a day.  You have only two hands, but you probably have at least one full time job, a husband, 2.5 children, pets, friends, family, two novels to read, four items for sale on eBay, and at least three ideas for at-home businessess that are in various stages.

I'm not saying that you can't have it all.  In fact, I think we should all be able to have everything in life we are willing to work our butts off for.  What I want my fellow Superwomen to consider is that perhaps multi-tasking is not a good idea.  When you are trying to do three things at once, does any one of them get done well?  The key to Having-it-All success is focusing on one thing at a time.

Case in point:  My first marriage was in its final death throes, I had dropped out of med school, was putting on the pounds, had lost most of my friends in the impending divorce, and was stuck in a middle management job.  What did I do?  Well, after the short stint as an aspiring alcoholic (I couldn't even do that successfully) I went back to school.

Sounds crazy, huh?  Well it worked!  Ignoring all of my previous failures and the dreams that seemed so far out of reach, I focused on the one thing I could do right now, this second, to change my situation.  Did it work?  Well, getting my degree showed my boss how committed I was to my own education, which lead to a promotion, which lead to my salary doubling over the next two years.  While traveling for my new position I met the man who two years later would become my next (and probably last) husband.  I've moved up the career ladder to a job and a company I really love, and we now have a son who I completely adore.

Okay, so these results are not guaranteed for everyone.  But I hoped to illustrate the point that the key to having it all is focusing on one aspect of your life at a time.  While you are at work, you need to be completely focused on your job.  When you are at home you need to be completely dedicated to your family, and not bringing work home with you.  When you are chatting with a friend on the telephone you need to be really listening to what she is saying and not thinking about the next thing you want to say.  Do each thing very well, and soon you will find that all things in your life progress towards your goals, in a sure and steady manner.

Think of life as a seesaw - first you focus on one thing, and then another.  You can't balance the thing by yourself by loading up each side with all of your goals and dreams and commitments.  But you can give each aspect of your life your full attention at different times, and thoroughly enjoy each experience as you go.

Good luck, Superwoman!