“Work-life balance.”

I detest that phrase.

Ok, maybe I’m not THAT angry about it…but I think I would prefer hearing nails screeching down a chalkboard than to hear someone giving me tips about “work-life balance.”

It took me YEARS, four children and countless 23 hour days to realize that the only way I would achieve this “coveted” utopia called work-life balance is if I did one thing: say no.

Yep. That was it.

I learned to say no.

Like most women, I was burning the candle at both ends to prove that I COULD HAVE IT ALL. What the he** does that phrase even mean?? What is the definition of “ALL” anyway??

I have a wonderful family…amazing friends…a job that I am absolutely passionate about…faith…organizations I believe wholeheartedly in…a gym that I love going to.

That’s my balance.

It has nothing to do with the dinner you serve…the laundry you folded…the cleanliness of your floors…the title behind your name…the amount of zeroes in your paycheck.

My priorities needed to change and change fast because I wasn’t happy…and we all know when Momma isn’t happy…nobody is happy.

That’s when I started saying no and I ignored other people’s expectations of me.

I stopped committing to events that I wasn’t passionate about.

I stopped agreeing to be places on the weekend…because in all honesty, the only place I want to be is at home wearing sweatpants with my family.

I stopped returning work emails and checking my voicemail after 5:00pm.

I stopped signing up to be the mom who bring treats to school because let’s face it, I pinned a bunch of cool Thanksgiving turkeys made out of Rice Krispie treats…but you kids are really getting pre-packaged cookies from the grocery store.

I stopped getting upset when my kids made a mess.

I stopped reading blogs and articles that were titled: “HOW TO ACHIEVE WORK-LIFE BALANCE.”

If the laundry piles up…then it piles up.

If one of my kiddos wants me to lay down with them for an hour…then I am laying down with them for an hour.

If I know the only cure to a really bad day is a two-hour soak in the bathtub…then that is what I will do.

Start saying no and invest what you are passionate about. Period.

My days aren’t planned out anymore.

When I am at work…I am ALL IN.

When I am at home…I am ALL IN.

That’s it.

I follow my own rulebook…not someone else’s.

That’s my balance.