The Glass Marbles I Refused to Drop

I used to think being successful—at work, at home, as a partner, friend, and professional—meant giving 100% everywhere. All the time. I now realize that kind of thinking wasn’t noble. It was exhausting trying to make sure I didn’t drop anything.

At one point, I thought my exhaustion meant I wasn’t trying hard enough. That maybe if I just woke up earlier or bought a better planner, I could figure it out. I didn’t know then what I know now: you can’t do it all—and you were never meant to.

Instead, what if we stopped asking ourselves to give 100% and started asking something much gentler: What matters most today?

What must I not drop?

I once heard a story about juggling responsibilities that stuck with me. Imagine all the things you’re holding—family, career, health, friendship, sleep, laundry, that one unopened Amazon box—as marbles in the air. Some are glass, and some are plastic.

Plastic ones? They can fall. They’ll bounce. They might get a scuff.

Glass ones? They’re fragile. They matter deeply. They must not drop.

The trick isn’t to juggle everything perfectly. The trick is knowing which marbles are glass right now.

Here’s the hard part

We’re often taught that dropping any ball is failure. Especially as women, we absorb the message that we’re supposed to be effortlessly excelling at work while packing the perfect lunches and replying to emails with grace and emojis. And when we can’t (because nobody can)—guilt creeps in.

But what if that guilt isn’t a sign you’re doing something wrong?

What if it’s a sign that your expectations have been distorted?

You’re not failing. You’re prioritizing. That’s a strength, not a shortcoming.

Instead of “Am I giving 100%?”

Try asking: “What are my glass marbles today?”

It might be: