"I don't know how you do it."

"How are you so organized?"

"You had to have gotten an A, you're so smart."

"How do you do all that?"

"When do you sleep?"

"Dude, you have your life together."

I seem like I have my life together. I'm an athlete, I coach, I have a job, I go to school full time, I write and am Editor-In-Chief for Odyssey, I do all my homework, I have time to study, I go out on weekends, I get ready in the morning (so I look presentable), I'm active on social media, I'm knowledgeable on new music and my Insta game is strong.

So I hear all the same comments over and over again, that they don't know how I'm not stressed, how I have time to do this or do that, how I sleep, how I look presentable. Everyone wants to know, "Abby, how do you have your life together?!"

Well here it is, I'm going to tell you my secrets.

1) None of us have our lives together.

This is my biggest secret of all, and if you want to get your life together, you need to accept that it's never going to happen. None of us have our lives together.

I certainly do not have my life together. You see me when I'm studying, in class, at the bar, at a meeting. You text me when I'm on my way home from work, when I'm working on homework at home, when I'm at dinner with my family. You see my Instagram and think that I have my life together.

But it's called self-disclosure, I only show the parts of me that I want the world to see. What you don't see is the daily, multiple breakdowns in my car, how many hours of sleep I lost last night, how much dry shampoo I use because I didn't have time to wash my hair, the amount of snacks I eat to replace meals, how much Red Bull I actually drink.

You don't see how many fun thing's I have to turn down because I have homework or work or a competition or simply need to do my laundry. I do not have my life together, at all.

2) My Planner

Every minute of every day is planned in my planner. If I have a 2-hour break between class and work, I use that time to be productive.

I'll watch my episode of Netflix while I'm eating my lunch and cleaning my kitchen all at the same time. I'll go to the grocery store at night when everything else is closed and I have time, I put my laundry off and save it for a day that I will write a paper and sit at home while it runs.

I plan when exactly I'm going to do my assignment for which class, when I have time to go out on a date, I even schedule time in to go back to my parent's house and dinner with them. Everything is planned out. The key to my planner is that I stick to my schedule.

However, this comes with a trade-off. Every week after work, my coworkers get mad at me because I won't go out with them for a drink. I had to start scheduling in time to go with them for a drink, even if I don't get a drink because I was tired of the torment, but it was the trade-off.

I have to often tell my friends "Dude, I'm sorry, I can't do anything today. I have to do my laundry today." or "I'm sorry, I only get to see my parents once a week." or "I have a midterm tomorrow I have to study for."

And they get sick of it, and they probably think I'm a flake, but they're my real friends and they understand that my school work is important right now. I truly believe the saying "Those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind."

I'm truly blessed that my friends don't mind my current trade off's. (Because once I'm rich with my fancy job, they'll be the ones I'll be showering in gifts.)

3) I believe in myself.

This is the key to success.

Sure, I don't know where I'm going in life. I skip class, I take personal days, I have breakdowns in my car, I don't get enough sleep, I feel like I don't have a lot of friends right now, I'm busy coaching, having a job, going to school full time, having my own practices, and running an Odyssey team, but I truly believe that I can do it.

I remind myself that I'm strong, I'm pretty, I'm smart, I'm funny, I'm capable, I'm a leader, and that I can handle everything on my plate. I reward myself for little things, like getting out of bed and eating lunch and getting out the door on time.

I focus on impacting the people around me and making their days better, rather than focusing on all the negitive energy, stress and things trying to pull me down in life. I choose to a ray of sunshine in a world that's used to gray skies, and I am constantly proud of myself.

Now, why you think my life might be together, it certainly isn't, but I promise that if you (1) admit your life is a mess, (2) get yourself a planner and stick to it and (3) believe in yourself (and stop focusing on the negitive in life,) you'll be able to handle a fully-loaded plate!

Good luck, and remember, I beleive in you!