I’ve worked with too many women who believe peace is the dessert of life—something sweet and optional, something you only get to taste after everyone else has had their fill.

They wait. They wait until the laundry is folded, the inbox is cleared, the partner is content, the family is settled, the world has finally quieted down. They tell themselves it’s not selfish to wait. They tell themselves it’s responsible. They tell themselves they’ll get to it eventually—when the timing is perfect, when the chaos fades, when everyone else’s needs are met.

But here’s what I tell them—every single time: if you treat peace like a prize to be earned, you’ll never have it. It doesn’t work that way.