Too often I am self-reliant to a fault. I usually refuse to ask for help and think that I can balance the world on my shoulders. What happens when you balance the world on your shoulders alone is that you drop something or you get squished. A few years ago, I realized that trying to do it all was holding me back professionally and personally. I started writing about how to hire a wife and the myth of work/life balance. The surprising way that I got through that rut and finally had the space to write a book, run a foundation, and travel around the country on a book tour while raising two kids is by becoming a part of a multigenerational household. My Dad moved in with us almost 2 years ago and it has made all the difference in the world. Instead of cursing through traffic to try to get home before daycare closes, he now picks them up from school and I can even have an occasional evening meeting or travel on the book tour without worrying how the kids are going to get in school.
Raising a family and having a career today is becoming a 10 person job. If you feel like it has been impossible for you to juggle the demands of home and work, it is probably because it is impossible to juggle home and work. Calling in the reinforcements doesn't mean that you are weak, it just means that none of us can do this alone.
Thanks Dad for having my back.