You can’t have it all is a phrase we often hear when we are tempted to take on more than we can handle. While there is truth to that mantra, I’d like to rephrase it to, we can’t do everything.

Sometimes as Black women, we grow up with the feeling that we are responsible for everything, therefore we must be strong so we can do everything. There’s just one problem with that, we are not unlimited resources.

While thoughts like this can be common, their underpinnings rumble with things such as our value and the need to please others.

What if we could release ourselves from the weight of feeling that everything would fall apart without us? What if we could surrender to having faith that everything will work out and trust the process that is in front of us?

The next time we are tempted to be Wonder Women, perhaps we can take a breath, and explore the origin of those thoughts. Before we jump into action, what would it feel like to check our personal reserves and determine if we have capacity to do what is before us? And how can we balance our choices with what is truly important to us (i.e. our spiritual well-being, our family our friends, and even the quality of our health, etc.)?

What would it feel like to say, thank you, but I can’t do “that” at this time?