In The Pursuit of Happiness: Sarah Jessica Parker on finding balance

I first fell in love with Sarah Jessica Parker long before she slipped on those Manolo Blahnik and strutted the streets of New York City as Carrie Bradshaw. It was even before she made being a witch ultra chic in Hocus Pocus. I was around 10, and it was a little film called Girls Just Wanna Have Fun (fun fact: A young Helen Hunt also stars in the movie!). Parker played a wide-eyed teen with dreams of becoming a regular on a cable TV dance show. I must have seen the movie — and memorized all of the dance numbers — about 55126512 times.

See? My girl crush goes wayyyyy back.

I’ve admired so much about her over the years, from her trailblazing fashion sense to her strong sense of self, so I suppose it’s only fitting that I share a great Parker-ism in honor of her 50th birthday yesterday. She spoke to Woman’s Day in 2007, where she shared her thoughts on that elusive “B” word — balance…

“As a woman, I have an inherent need to be all things to all people, to make certain everybody’s taken care of. I know I can’t sustain that level all the time, so I’m finding the proper balance and it’s made me infinitely happier.”

How refreshing is that? So often, we look at other people — not just other women — and it seems like they have everything all figured out. And sometimes, we even start to wonder if we’re doing it all wrong or why no one sent us the memo on finding that perfect balance. But, thanks to Sarah Jessica Parker, I feel a little less alone in my plight, which makes all the difference in the world.

How have you been finding balance lately, friends? What tricks have worked for you? Do you find that some aspects of your life are more balanced than others? Let’s chat! xoxo