In September, I started my third year at college. And this quarter was one of the most eye opening. One reason for that is at the end of the quarter, sometime around my finals, I got to meet up with one of my best friends who understands me. We have a lot of similarities. From doing well in school, being in a sorority and holding positions, balancing home and school life and commuting, we understood the struggle.

We have always had a lot on our plates. And we were used to it. Hard work is not uncommon for us. Being raised in families that made it clear that education was important to be successful in life, we both only saw each other going up. Armed with dreams that are turning into goals and solid plans supported by work ethic, we are on our way to achieving everything we want. But this quarter/semester was a wake up call for the both of us.

We both realized that we were dedicating all of our time and effort into school and work, with sorority positions included for me. But we had other things we wanted to focus on. Things like health, relationships and self care were going out the window.

By the time we finished talking, I realized that I wanted to expand my hustle. My life has revolved too much around school and work and sorority that it was causing me so much stress. At some points it felt like I was losing my mind. So I'm trying my own version of Hal Erod's "Miracle Morning". Because I noticed that having a morning routine makes me feel like I've accomplished something. What I've been doing is running and doing a quick workout, meditation and journaling. I also make the time for breakfast and to go over my schedule for the day. But it also means that I've had to make a conscience effort to keep off social media and emails before I get to school. Because the last thing I want to worry about school and work when I should be taking the time for myself.

But my hustle is not just going to be about adding a morning routine, it's also about divvying up my time so that everything gets a equal chance of being on my mind.

2016 was the year of realizing stuff, a la Kylie Jenner. But if we learned anything, we can crush 2017.