"Work-life balance": Is it really possible?

Blog by Dawn Maloney

I don’t believe in work-life balance. 

I didn’t even know what that was until I heard younger women using the buzzword and then saw videos on the topic all over YouTube. Work life balance? What the heck is that? How do I achieve it? Is it achievable? Should I have it? If I don’t have work-life balance am I a good wife and mom? 

As a mentor, young female makeup artists ask me how to achieve work-life balance. There’s no such thing, I say. I’m 51 and I’m not even going to start trying. I always have plans for my personal and business life, yet I simply go with the flow. I tell them, everyday is different. Sometimes you focus more on personal things and sometimes you focus more on your profession.

The unattainable drive for work-life balance causes women to compare themselves to other women. How are they doing it all? And why am I not getting it all done at light speed like them?  The work-life balance myth is dangerous to women. It slows them down from doing what they really want to do.

Redefining "Balance"

Instead of work-life balance, maybe it's about work-life harmony. Some days, work dominates; other days, family or personal life takes priority. And that’s okay. Women often feel guilty if they’re not excelling in both areas at all times. But maybe success isn’t about perfection in all things but about choosing priorities without guilt.

It can be hard not to compare yourself to others when social media can be deceiving. Platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube may create unrealistic expectations. We only see curated snippets of “perfectly balanced” lives, making women feel like they’re failing when in reality, no one has it all figured out.

What if we stopped striving for balance and instead embraced fulfillment? What if we measured success not by balance but by how aligned we feel with our goals and passions?