This is a 1998 article from FORTUNE, about the 34 women of Harvard Business School’s Class of 1973 (the first year that HBS had a “significant” portion of the class be female – 4.4%).
Even though this article is almost 10 years old (can you believe that the 90s were TEN years ago!? I feel old), I really think it’s timeless.
Their advice: You can do anything, but you can’t do everything. So choose carefully.
The right question is about choices: implicit ones, explicit ones; choices made consciously and choices made by default. The wise women of the class of ’73 now know this–which is why they are nearly unanimous in the advice they would like to pass along to the women following them. The advice is not about how to break the glass ceiling or how to survive a sexist boss. It is instead to know thyself, and then to make your choices accordingly. “We in this generation were raised to think we could do anything,” says Lang. “Our parents told us, ‘You’re smart. You’re educated. You can do anything.’ And the answer is yes. You can do anything. But you can’t do everything.” The trick is having the wisdom to know the difference.
Well Heeled Blog 
Oh so true, we can’t do everything, but sometimes it is hard to remember this! Letting go of a few things when you need to is important. But having choices is just as important. Great article!
Great advice! I need to remind myself of that….
Great post! Two years ago I gave up my seat at Law School to be a stay-at-home mom. The hardest part of that decision was that neither choice would be easy. The both involved work, work, work. So finally I decided to take the one opportunity that would not be around forever: having a baby. I don’t think going to law school in the future would (will) be easy, but obviously that window of opportunity doesn’t close the way child-bearing does.
Based on this choice my dh and I also chose to work extremely hard at investing for the future, since I would not have that graduate degree and higher earning potential for us to rely on. That mutual dedication has given me more confidence in my choice to be a mom. Things can still go wrong, but we have made choices to best protect ourselves if they do.
I wish I realized and recognized that last month! I was nearly killing myself mentally and physically trying to do everything and take on every single money making opportunity that came my way. The end – a lot of wasted time and energy for projects that didn’t pan out. All for money! And a few weeks later another opportunity comes my way without me having to spend any effort driving to some unknown place and with one of my good friends! I’m going to stick that quote as my screensaver the next time I decide to chase an opportunity to do everything!
As one of the first feminists, my feeling is that a woman can do anything and everything, but not at the same time. Some things may just have to wait.