The mantra I take with me everywhere I go, and the best piece of advice I have ever received in my life, is that diamonds are made under pressure. My sophomore year of college, I was extremely overwhelmed with life's obstacles. Granted, I brought many of these obstacles on myself when I decided to get involved in my college community. I am a sister of a sorority, a teaching assistant, and a member on an executive council of an organization that raises money for pediatric cancer, all while trying to keep a certain GPA to maintain my scholarship.

One day, I called my older brother while having a serious anxiety attack. Life was just demanding too much and I didn't think I could deliver. After ranting for 15 minutes, he told me the most important thing I have ever heard in my life: "Most people crack under the kind of pressure that you are enduring, and most people fear having that much responsibility in their life. But let me tell you something -- the only way diamonds are made is under pressure. And let's be honest, doesn't everyone want to be a diamond in this world?"

I came to a realization that day. Pressure should not be looked at as a negative; if you don't feel life's pressures, that means you are not pushing yourself to be better. It means that you are not becoming involved in what life has to offer to do something more than just breathe, eat, and sleep. Pressure means that you are learning, experiencing, and setting off in search of something meaningful in this world of chaos. How are you supposed to learn and grow if you do not take risks outside of your comfort zones and involve yourself in life's wonders? Isn't that how you become as strong as a diamond?

Life is full of decisions to be made. Sometimes they are as big as deciding if you should move across the country away from your family, or as small as whether or not you have time to grab a cup of coffee before your next meeting. More often than not, life is made up of the small decisions. Should I get out of bed today to be a productive citizen of society? Should I walk that extra mile to push myself harder than I did the day before?

It is the little stresses and everyday responsibilities that the real world is full of, and if you are going to thrive you need to be able to handle them. Even on your worst days, pressure is a good thing because it helps shape the person you will become. Handling pressure helps you become as unbreakable as a diamond. It helps you shine as brilliantly as a diamond.

When you feel as if you are bearing the weight of the world on your shoulders, remember that the only way that diamonds are made is under pressure. When you start to feel like you have too much on your plate, and your mind is racing every which way to get it all done, remember how diamonds are made. You can either crack under pressure, or use these stressful situations to become a stronger person, but never look at pressure as if it is a bad thing. If it wasn't for pressure diamonds would not exist.