Quote Of The Day By Halle Berry: 'You Don't Ever Balance It Completely. It's A Constant Struggle Of...'

Halle Berry is one of the most accomplished actors in Hollywood. Over the years, we've gotten to see the stunning style transformation of Halle Berry as she went from an emerging young star to the first Black woman to win an Academy Award for best actress. Berry was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, and as one of the few Black children at her high school in the early 1970s, Berry was determined to rise above the racism and bigotry she faced. Berry was very accomplished in school, won several beauty pageants as a teen, and later moved to New York City to become a model (something she has explained was just a stepping stone to achieve her real goal of acting). 

Berry began acting on television in the late 1980s, but her real big break came in 1991 with Spike Lee's film "Jungle Fever." She continued to star in films throughout the decade, including "Boomerang," "Losing Isaiah," and "Introducing Dorothy Dandridge." In 2001, Berry starred in the acclaimed drama "Monster's Ball," for which she earned her Oscar for best actress. Since then, Berry has starred in all sorts of projects, whether comic book films like "X-Men" and "Catwoman" or thrillers like "Perfect Stranger" and "Kidnap," and she gives every project her all. 

In addition to her busy work schedule, Berry is a mother. The actor shares her 18-year-old daughter Nahla with ex-boyfriend Gabriel Aubry and 12-year-old son Maceo-Robert with ex-husband Olivier Martinez. Berry's first-hand understanding of the challenges working parents face makes her the perfect source for today's quote of the day.

Halle Berry isn't afraid to get candid about the realities of parenthood. In 2017, Berry spoke to People about her experience. "You don't ever balance it completely. [Motherhood] is a constant struggle of a little more time there, a little more time here, and feeling a little bit guilty all the time," Berry said. For working parents, Berry's take on the difficulty of time management likely rings true. 

Halle Berry's perspective on motherhood is something every parent can relate to. As Berry explains, it is incredibly difficult (nigh impossible) to balance everything perfectly as a parent. Even if you achieve a solid routine, there's always something that will throw it off. For mothers like Berry, there can even be feelings of guilt amid the chaos of parenthood. We've all had that moment where it seems like there aren't enough hours in the day, but especially for parents, it can often feel as though time isn't on your side. 

However, if you relate to Berry's words, it is important to understand that no parent is perfect, no schedule is infallible, and none of the struggle means that you're failing. For working mothers like Berry, society may try to make you feel guilty for not being present 100% of the time, but the reality is that no parent can be around all the time, and time is something we all need more of (whether or not you are raising children). Ignore the societal pressure to be a perfect mother, and understand that complete balance is impossible to achieve — but that doesn't mean that you're not doing right by your family. 

• "For me, motherhood is learning about the strengths I didn't know I had, and dealing with the fears I didn't know existed."
• "Sometimes the most important word you can learn is 'No.'"
• "I've learned that I can't care about what people say about me because caring is too stressful and too hurtful."
• "When you have children, you get to see things all over again. So I've never laughed as hard, I've never done more silly things. And I go to great lengths to make my daughter laugh."
• "I'm embracing the fact that with each new year comes a new line on my face, and that just makes me more of who I'm evolving into."
• "We need more people of color writing, directing, producing, not just starring. We have to start telling stories that include us. And when stories don't include us, we have to start asking, 'why can't that be a person of color? Why can't that white male character be a black woman?' Why can't it? We have to start pushing the envelope and asking these questions."
• "Throughout my career, I have been talked out of things I wanted to do, and when I look back, I think, I should have followed my instincts. I relied on others to guide me because I thought they knew better. But as I've gotten older, I've learned to trust myself.