Forget Work/Life Balance — It’s an Impossible Equation & What to Do Instead

Feminine super powers for creating a new equation for success

There is a reason we find it so hard to “find balance” or “create work/ life balance.” We are smart women, yet no matter how much sleep we get, or how many productivity strategies we implement or weekly yoga classes we take, we have not solved the elusive search for balance that has plagued women for over 50 years.

And it’s not our fault.

Work/life balance as an equation for success is a faulty equation. It doesn’t have the power to solve the stress, tension and overwhelm we feel and face as women told we can do and have it all.

Like any construct that only has two parts, Work/Life Balance as a measure or a goal creates what is called a “duality reality.”

In duality realities (think of the Democrat/Republican political system), the two forces constantly pull at each other like a tug of war — which is why when it comes to ‘balancing work and life’ you often feel stuck in an internal tug of war. Work is pulling at life. Life is pulling at work. And you get caught in the middle.

Just examine this as an equation for a moment:

work / life

work over life

work divided by life

This equation suggests there are only two parts of us — work and life. So if it’s not work, is everything else supposed to fit under the category of life? No wonder we feel like we don’t have enough time or space; we are trying to stuff everything we care about in one lump sum within 50% of an equation.

Now here is where Feminine Wisdom can elevate the equation and open the possibility for new models and systems…

Wisdom Byte: When you keep running the same faulty equation as a model of success or living, you will keep coming up with the same problems.

In this case, feeling overwhelmed, stretched and burned out? No matter how many green drinks or hours of sleep we get, we can’t break the patterns of burnout and overwhelm.

This is because we are trying to work and live within systems (work, education, healthcare, family, etc.) that were not created for human harmony but were designed to maximize what those in power could take from human potential and effort.

Just take that in for a moment. Think of the industrial revolution, which created education systems that pumped out people to make stuff. Or the market system which led to the corporate systems which at the time were thinking solely on how to grow and be bigger and more. Sustainability and wellness were not part of the equation. It’s the same with most of the systems that created our modern day world.

Which means that it’s not your fault you can’t find balance. Not only is it impossible in these systems — it’s not the way your human system and life functions.

Life isn’t lived on a balance beam (that would be so stressful).

I don’t want to spin plates or juggle balls to keep things balanced.

And nothing in this world can be perfectly balanced 50/50 all the time.

You and I live dynamic lives that are not searching for balance, but seeking to come into harmony.

We need dynamic systems and ways of living and creating that support the WHOLE person, not cut us in half.

So today, I am not here to give you a laundry list of the 10 things you need to do to take care of yourself. You don’t need more information on the what to do.

If we truly want to create systems that support all parts of us, and support humanity to operate at it’s highest potential — not just for profit and for power over others but where all people and beings can thrive — then we need to change the equation.

We each have the power to do that by changing the equations and programs we are running in our own lives. The work/life balance equation has taken us as far as it can. It’s time for an operating system upgrade!

So what is the new equation?

I call it the Feminine Super Power of Harmony.

The Feminine Super Power of Harmony: “The ability to create a rhythm to your life — your days, weeks, months & years — that supports and sustains you and allows you to be graceful, powerful & flexible in how you interact with, lead, and respond to all parts of your life. Your life is like an orchestra. Each part is like a section that together comprises a whole life and self. You are the conductor, and the Divine is the inspiration, energy & tune that plays through you. ”

Just consider that for a moment — what if instead of balancing your life, stretching yourself like an octopus, or performing circus tricks like a juggler or plate spinner, you were the conductor of your life. And just like a conductor, you are aware of all of the parts of your orchestra (family, work, health, wealth, marriage, home, etc) but you don’t try to play them all at the same time, at the same intensity all the time, as loud as you can.

You have the wisdom and the presence to know what needs attention and you have the inner balance to focus on those parts, letting the others play in the background, until it’s time for the music to shift.

The equation: Harmony = Focus + Fluidity = FLOW.

Which would look something like this in your day to day life:

· FOCUS on the parts calling for and in alignment for attention now — and let the others go to a different time and space, or fade into the background, giving them less energy. time and resources.

· Cultivate both the Intuitive Wisdom and Centered Presence to be FLUID — allowing yourself to be informed by the situation and your higher guidance, and making choices from an elevated vision and leadership.

·FLOWING through your life in HARMONY at different paces and rhythms — sometimes your life will feel like staccato — fast. Other times lyrical — lots of space. And sometimes just a good tune — maintaining flow.

No plates. No balls. Spacious. Strong. Centered. Calm. Even when the music gets intense, balanced from the inside, you play the game of life with grace.

I invite you to change your equation. Release the Work/Life Balance equation from your vocabulary and mind. Upgrade your programming to Cultivate Harmony and practice living this way — all great conductors practice and have incredible presence.

To explore more on the Feminine Super Power of Harmony, tune into the special Feminine Power Time Series: Breaking the Myth of Balance with Christine Arylo, feminine leadership advisor, transformational wisdom teacher, best-selling author — To tune in, click here. Or subscribe to the Feminine Power Time podcast on your podcast app or Itunes.