By Stephanie Yang (shown on the right)
(a big THANKS to Shu-Jon Mao for the amazing photos used in this article!)
Somedays I feel like a broken record is following me around in those moments I get a glimpse into a stranger’s life while fighting for personal space on a crowded bus or at the local hipster coffee shop in a line that tumbles out the door. I overhear conversations that eerily mimic those I continue to have with friends, with my siblings, with peers. What does it mean to have balance? How do we really find the point when life, work, family, art, passion and love are all able to strike equilibrium in our lives?
As a single woman in my mid-30s, I have been confronting this question head on for several years now, with ferver and determination. I have found some answers that fit for my reality, however may questions still remain. At the recent NATWA Annual Convention in Los Angeles in April this year, Michi Fu, a NATWA II member, deftly facilitated a interactive discussion on these precise questions with the NATWA II group. Michi’s skill in coaxing questions, strategies and stories out of each of the session participants helped to create an open and safe space in which the often daunting nature of defining how to achieve balance in our lives started to become an attainable goal for many of us in the room. Specific strategies were shared, such as online resources and tools (ie. www.worklifebalance.com) to books that have been written within a variety of sectors to support this journey.
The discussion was about finding ways to take a step forward – through telling stories and building community. As the group discussed the deeply shared experience of the challenge we meet in learning how to say „NO“, to the childhood (and also adult) realities many of us also shared of needing to be „perfect“ as our parents compared us to other people’s daughters, relationships within
Somedays I feel like a broken record is following me around in those moments I get a glimpse into a stranger’s life while fighting for personal space on a crowded bus or at the local hipster coffee shop in a line that tumbles out the door. I overhear conversations that eerily mimic those I continue to have with friends, with my siblings, with peers. What does it mean to have balance? How do we really find the point when life, work, family, art, passion and love are all able to strike equilibrium in our lives?
As a single woman in my mid-30s, I have been confronting this question head on for several years now, with ferver and determination. I have found some answers that fit for my reality, however may questions still remain. At the recent NATWA Annual Convention in Los Angeles in April this year, Michi Fu, a NATWA II member, deftly facilitated a interactive discussion on these precise questions with the NATWA II group. Michi’s skill in coaxing questions, strategies and stories out of each of the session participants helped to create an open and safe space in which the often daunting nature of defining how to achieve balance in our lives started to become an attainable goal for many of us in the room. Specific strategies were shared, such as online resources and tools (ie. www.worklifebalance.com) to books that have been written within a variety of sectors to support this journey.
The discussion was about finding ways to take a step forward – through telling stories and building community. As the group discussed the deeply shared experience of the challenge we meet in learning how to say „NO“, to the childhood (and also adult) realities many of us also shared of needing to be „perfect“ as our parents compared us to other people’s daughters, relationships within
the group began to deepen…we all began to recognize ourselves in the other women in the room. Though each of us face different challenges to balance – some of us have children, some of us are partnered, some of us are still in school, others are artists, physicians, non-profit professionals, or finance professionals – the space provided by NATWA II at this year’s conference helped me achieve a much needed deep breath, knowing that I am not alone on this journey. The myriad stories that were shared helped ground the conversation in the reality that balance is not nearly as elusive as it may at times seem, however, what it looks like will inevitively shift throughout our lives, as our priorities and interests evolve. As we build community among second generation Taiwanese-American women through this work, we are building a network of support and encouragement for each of us to find the tools we need to create the balance and change we seek in our lives.As we all prioritize ourselves in taking care of our needs, we are ultimately taking care of each other and our community. Having this open space at the NATWA conference met a growing need
in me to connect with other Taiwanese American women in real and authentic ways. I look forward to future spaces to expand and deepen these conversations and relationships – and to keep learning from one another about how the game of finding balance continues to be played. 
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