Can You Have It All?

Not at the Same Time.

One of the phrases that has guided me for years.

We all chase things we believe will make life complete—money, education, recognition, stability, love, success. Somewhere along the way, many of us fall into the illusion that a good life means having everything, all at once.

Even as children, a young girl may want to be popular in school, excel academically, shine in sports or music, perform in theater, and have an active social life. But many of these desires quietly compete with one another. Time, energy, and focus are finite. If you want the best social life, you may not top your class. If you devote yourself to academics, you may not have time to excel in sports or music. That’s not failure, it’s reality.

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The Illusion of “Doing It All”

In our 20s and 30s, the list grows longer: a happy marriage, thriving children, a spotless home, a healthy lifestyle, a steadily climbing career, close friendships, hobbies, travel, personal growth—endless wants layered on top of each other. We look at peers our age and wonder how they seem to manage it all when we can’t. The hard truth is this: no one has it all at the same time. What we see is often a snapshot, not the full picture.

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Glass Balls vs. Rubber Balls

This is where the idea of glass balls and rubber balls becomes helpful.

In life, some things are glass balls - they are precious and fragile. If dropped, they can crack or shatter. These might be your health, your children, your marriage, your mental well-being, or a core value that anchors you. Everyone’s glass balls are different, and you may have one, two, or a few. The more glass balls you try to juggle at once, the greater the risk of something breaking.

Other things are rubber balls. They still matter, but if you drop them, they bounce back. A hobby can wait. Travel can be postponed. Career momentum can slow for a season. Volunteering, social commitments, or side pursuits may pause and resume later. Dropping a rubber ball isn’t giving up, it’s choosing timing.

As Nora Roberts mentioned, when juggling responsibilities, it is impossible to keep them all in the air. The goal is to ensure the ones that fall are made of rubber.

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Choosing What Deserves Your Hands

Your glass balls will change with life stages. In your 20s, they may be building a career, marriage, or exploring the world. In your 40s, they may shift to health, children, aging parents, or career growth. What matters is recognizing which balls are glass in this season and holding them with care.

The mistake we make is treating every ball as glass—and stretching ourselves so thin that something inevitably breaks.

Glass balls and rubber balls are deeply personal. They depend on your values, circumstances, and the season you’re in. Life isn’t about perfect balance; it’s about conscious prioritization. When you look back, you may realize that you did handle most of your glass balls with intention and maybe even caught a few rubber ones along the way.

So yes, you can have it all.
Just not all at once.

Some seasons demand both hands.
Some things need to be held gently.
And some can be dropped without guilt, knowing they’ll bounce back when the time is right.

The real wisdom isn’t in juggling everything.
It’s in knowing what deserves your hands today.

So, what are your glass balls?

Signing out,

Sana