Balance is Out! Mix is In! What does that mean and why should it matter to you? At Women in the Mix, our goal is to redefine social norms so that women (as well as men) will be empowered to design or redesign their current mix of work-life to create a higher level of satisfaction. It is an almost inescapable reality that the pace of life is accelerating, and therefore the pressures in each component of life and work are accelerating as well. With this acceleration, the search for “balance” becomes even more futile as there is less time for thoughtful consideration of what one truly wants but rather a tendency to react to the set of circumstances currently in front of us and demanding our attention. By equipping ourselves with the mindset of work-life mix rather than work-life balance, we can start to adopt real tools that will enable us to thrive despite the insanity that daily life often brings.
As I draft, I sit in between two of my sons doing homework. To keep us all moving forward, I tell them that this is my homework. One son is doing RazKids comprehension homework on my iPad, a second son practices for his guitar lessons tomorrow, and my oldest prepares for slew of standardized testing coming this month. Dinner cooks, the laundry machine whirls, my husband preps for a late meeting this evening, the dogs pant at my feet for dinner, the gecko needs spraying, my iPhone beeps with new to-dos and messages and in between answering my kids questions, I breathe and continue writing. Did I plan for this mix when I started my career as an attorney at a law firm? No. But, I have made choices and learned lessons along to way to create a mix that works for me and my family of 5. Life does not feel at all balanced, but I love my mix and embrace both the opportunities and insanity.
Meanwhile, my 25 year-old cousin, Ana, who will graduate law school this spring reached out to me yesterday in a bit of a panic because the firm she had planned to work for announced that they would not be hiring any new associates. She had expected to follow the traditional path of joining a law firm, but that door was unexpectedly shut. In the short-term, this closed door seems devastating. In the long-run, I believe that it can be a tremendous opportunity. Without the option of taking the path of least resistance, she can start to design a potential work-life mix that will not only support her 25 year-old self, but also increase the likelihood of her thriving in all aspects of work and life when she is her 35 year-old self. We talked about her ideal mix—work environment, skills she most enjoys utilizing, financial constraints, etc. From her answers, we started to design her mix. Through the stories of real women, I confidently encouraged her that with some foresight and perspective, she would have more choices and power throughout her life. Highly-skilled women today are taking their futures into their own hands. Thriving in work and life is not only possible but actually probable. Mix is the new balance. Mix is in. Make your mix.
