"My point is, life is about balance. The good and the bad. The highs and the lows. The pina and the colada.” –Ellen DeGeneres

In life, it's sometimes hard to find the reasoning behind things-- the good in an awful day, the benefit to feeling so lonely, the rationale behind losing someone we love. In life, we are forced to fight through the events that make no sense at the time, hoping the reason will be shown to us further down the road-- not because it’s necessarily what we want to do, but we because we have no other choice than to trust that what happens, happens for a reason. Although I don’t think there will ever be complete comfort in the fact that we have to depend on that "reason" or the good in every situation, I have come to realize that even when nothing makes sense, balance is key to getting through. Balance is what stabilizes all the bad days, the losses and the misfortunes. Because without the bad, how could we ever learn to appreciate the good?

Balance is crucial in so many aspects of our life. When loving someone, when trusting someone, when coping with loss, when having a bad day, or even when building a friendship or a relationship. You’re not always going to agree with every person close to you, but with balance and compromise, you make things work because you care about one another. I have come to realize how essential balance is for a person to obtain in nearly every aspect of life—people need it to function, to grow, to appreciate. We need balance to be human, and to learn from both the good and the bad.

Be kind, but don't let people take advantage of you.

It is so important to be kind. There is, however, a fine line between being a kind person and letting people walk all over you. You can open your heart to everyone and treat everyone with kindness, but there has to be a balance. You have to draw the line somewhere and find a balance between considering an action as kindness, or simply being a push-over. It takes several instances of being taken advantage of, or people utilizing your kindness in a negative manner for you to find that balance and draw that line—for you to decide how to be nice while sticking up for yourself too.

Trust people, but don’t be naïve.

Trust is a hard concept for many people. When you are hurt by someone—whether it be a friend, a significant other, a family member, it is often hard for people to earn your trust again after breaking it once already. It is hard to find the benefit to letting someone back in your life if they already abused it the first time. It’s human to doubt and have difficulty trusting others, it is human to be hesitant to let others back in your life. However, relationships cannot function without trust. Find a balance between looking out for yourself and knowing when something is not worth the time, and knowing when to let someone in and be there for you. You need to experience the bad to know what’s good, never be afraid of a second chance, but know when it is time to walk away.

Be strong, but don’t shut people out.

Strength and bitterness are two completely different things. It is important to stand up for yourself, look out for yourself and put up a strong front that lets people know you are capable of taking care of yourself. Independence is the best way to look after yourself and assure you won't get hurt down the road—strength is the easiest way to take care of yourself. Finding a balance between the strength, while also finding outlets and good friends to vent to is so important. Be strong, but don’t shut the world out.

Make time for you.

There is such a difference between loneliness and making time to be alone. Making time for yourself does not equate to being lonely. It gives you time to think, take a break, and just have some selfish time to focus on yourself. You can be the most social person in the world and still make time to enjoy a night to yourself, or an hour at the coffee shop, or a run to clear your head. The balance between both social time and "you time" can be refreshing.

The bad days, the losses, the loneliness, and the sadness—they all have a purpose. Whether it makes sense now, makes sense down the road, or never makes sense to us, everything really does have its reason. Even on the worst days, or through the hardest times, remember there is a reason. Every situation in life is a balancing act because it's our lowest spots, our worst days, and our toughest losses that have shown us what "good" is. They have shown us what to appreciate and cherish because "good" is not always going to be the case. Balance is key.