“Being in control of your life and
having realistic expectations about your day-to-day challenges are the keys to
stress management, which is perhaps the most important ingredient to living a
happy, healthy and rewarding life.” ―Marilu Henner
PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi said brutally
in her interview with The Atlantic,
“I don’t think women can have it all. I just don’t think so. We pretend we have
it all. We pretend we can have it all.” She added, “You die with guilt. You just die
with guilt. My observation is that the biological clock and the career clock
are in total conflict with each other. Total, complete conflict. When you have
to have kids you have to build your career. Just as you’re rising to middle
management your kids need you because they’re teenagers.”
The fact is that nobody can have it
all. There is no point in highlighting it from gender perspective. We must
learn to live with realities and balance personal, professional and social life
as far as possible to provide meaning to our lives. Hence, Indra Nooyi’s statement
doesn’t have any substance and it doesn’t inspire women in any way. She could not balance her professional and
personal life that doesn’t mean other women cannot balance. When you look at women leaders including Diane
Sawyer, Martha Stewart, Estee Lauder, Ruth Hamdler, Debbi Fields, and Arianna
Huffington, they have it all. Hence, it is obvious that Indra Nooyi is not an
ideal example for work-life balance. When
you look at American President, Barack Obama, he ensures work-life balance. He
spends considerable time with his family.
People have their own expectations and
work towards achieving them. But life takes its own twists and turns and
finally people land somewhere else. We propose something and God disposes
something else. Life is not a cakewalk.
We work hard to achieve something while the outcomes are beyond our control. Hence,
nobody can have it all.
Challenges
for Women
Women undergo lots of challenges at
home and office. They have professional roles and responsibilities at office. They
must manage office politics. Sometimes, they may face sexual harassment in the
workplace. After reaching home, they must manage their husbands, children and
parents. It is a tough job indeed! In
fact, women are blessed with several inherent strengths. They can multitask, and
are diplomatic. They are expert in soft skills, and are assertive by nature.
They are flexible, and can get along with others easily. However, they may not
be able to make decisions quickly and may find it tough to manage their
emotions. Overall, women are much smarter than men.
The solution lies in stop comparing it
with others. Women must not compare with other women in businesses, careers,
children, money and jewelry. To conclude, it is not possible for both men and
women to have it all. Especially for leaders and C-suit executives, it is tough
to manage their time and juggle their roles and responsibilities from time to
time.
“Life is indeed beautiful. It's times
when we sink into our hectic and stressful lifestyles that we are blinded and
fail to see what we really have.” - Unknown
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