Not Having it All

Last week I was listening to Fresh Air on NPR and Terry Gross was interviewing Supreme Court Justice, Sonia Sotomayor. If you have a minute, well 38 minutes, you should listen to the interview, it was pretty amazing.

Something Justice Sotomayor said in the interview stuck with me and has been in the forefront of my mind for the past week. Gross asked her about not having children and if it's possible for women to "have it all." Her response was nothing short of amazing:

"This whole continuing question about whether women can 'have it all' — I think it's the wrong question. I think the right question should be, "What makes you happy as a person? Do you want to not 'have it all' but to have both in your life in an imperfect way?" Because if the question presupposes that you're going to do both and be equally happy at every moment, it's a false question. It's a compromise; it's a balance; it's figuring out what's the most important thing you have to give at that moment and to what. All of that is a constant work in progress."

I feel like this is my new mantra. I don't know, maybe that sounds silly, but it's a fact. Having it all is just not possible, but doing what makes me happy is possible. I feel that if more of us change the way in which we approach our lives and stop trying to live up to this impossible standard, the happier we shall all be.