Having it all, but at what cost for a career nurse and devoted mother?

When one of my early mentors suggested that my nursing qualification, as a Registered General Nurse, would be my ticket to 'Having It All' I could not envisage what that would mean for me. As a nurse and a woman, who intended to have a family, I did not think too far ahead and any thoughts on how it would manifest itself in relation to my nursing career were limited to family-friendly options. However, this phrase became embedded in my subconscious and would end up influencing my goals, dreams, and aspirations both personally and professionally.

For me, having it all was not based on greed or a materialistic wish list, instead, it described the tight rope walk that was my life, a finely balanced juggling act between my career, and my family. The truth was that I had survived a period in my life that physically and emotionally pushed me to the edge, and I was literally saved by the deep-seated love for my children. Now as I looked forward there was a ray of light beckoning and telling me it was time to start over. Might this be my happy ever after at last?