2018 has been a great year in which I have learned a lot about myself. This week I read about the importance of investing in yourself, which reminded me of something one of my supervisors said last year: “You can’t pour from an empty cup. You have to take care of yourself first.” Still, I will do way more to help others than I will to help myself. However, I am going to talk about the ways in which I have devoted time to myself first.

I have grown to realize that I like to keep things in order and I like knowing exactly where my belongings are. When things are out of order and I can’t find what I’m looking for, I am unable to focus on what I’m doing and I start freaking out. My mind suddenly becomes just as chaotic as the mess before me. This became evident my first year of college when each morning before class, I would make my bed and straighten things up. And because of this, I felt as if I were on my “A game” or as if I was more than prepared for whatever life threw at me.

Another way I took care of myself first was by eating breakfast. My first year of college I (thankfully) lived in a residence hall with a kitchen. Each morning I would wake up two hours before class started, shower and then fix some pancakes for breakfast. This too, made me feel like I was more than prepared each morning for class. However, when I moved to another residence hall without a kitchen I began skipping breakfast, which caused me to not only eat more for lunch but also be unable to focus in class.

Being able to say ‘no’ confidently was something I struggled with, but also something that ultimately benefited me in the long run. Before I started saying no and not feeling bad for saying that, I bit off more than I could chew because I didn’t want to make anyone upset. But once I noticed that the same people I bent over backward for would be the same people that would turn their backs on me when I needed them, that’s when I realized something had to give. I no longer swam oceans for people who weren’t willing to jump puddles for me.

One of the best investments I made for myself was doing a 100 Days of Happiness Challenge, which I will talk more about in another article. When I started the challenge I was dealing with a personal issue that made me sad most of the time and my thoughts were more negative than I wanted them to be. After starting the challenge I had a different outlook on life and I became more aware of things that made me happy. Each day of that challenge was a day in which I found something to smile about.

Finally, one of the best things I could’ve done to benefit me, in the long run, was come to college. I grew up in a small town surrounded by a lot of negative people and very little opportunity for me to achieve my career goals. Before I started college I felt angry all the time and I knew I wanted to change. As soon as I moved into my room, I felt so free and happy. I have met so many people from all over the country and from other countries as well and I am so thankful.