Cut yourself some slack, Fuller says.

Question: How can women balance career and family?

Fuller: I talk about in my book, “The Joys of Much Too Much”, how I do believe women can have it all, but you have to give yourself a break. You can’t expect perfection at every level. And I think that a lot of women feel that it’s impossible because they are . . . they are trying to reach some bar in every aspect of their lives that is so demanding that it makes it impossible an it puts so much pressure on them. I mean you have to . . . You have to decide where you’re gonna concentrate your efforts. I love my career and I love my family. On the other hand I’m not gonna make . . . I don’t make myself crazy about the fact that my house isn’t like perfection all the time. And also I have to make decisions every day about time. You know do I really have to go to this event? Do I really have to do . . . Whether it’s a personal event or a work event, do I really have to take that trip? Do I really have to go to this cousin’s wedding? I mean you have to look at what’s going on in your life, and you so have to pare down and cut out what isn’t as important to you and focus on what is. And I think it’s important also . . . very important that when you’re looking for a life partner that you have to find somebody who is gonna be there for you, and that’s going to be able to pick up their share and not expect you to do everything that has to do with the house and the kids because they are gonna be off only doing their career. I mean you need a partner that’s going to help you out and that’s going to allow you to realize the ambitions that you have in your different areas of life. Recorded On: 1/30/08