Growing up we were always told that if we worked hard enough, we could do anything and become anything that we wanted. Some of us may have took that valuable advice and turned it around as a way to motivate us into trying to become anything and absolutely everything that that our hearts desired. We begin to spread ourselves out too thin trying to craft an ultimate perfect self; someone who is intelligent, social, involved, attractive, and successfully capable of inhibiting all of these characteristics. With every new start, whether it be a new year or simply a new day, overzealous goals are made with the naïve tenacity that we are capable of fully and successfully accomplishing each and every single one of them. When we inevitably trip over such a highly set hurdle, we over criticize our performance despite the fact that we, as humans, can only handle so much and be stretched out so far. No matter how great our time management skills are, life still gets in the way at some point or another, bringing along unexpected obstacles that suddenly cause making dean’s list, picking up more shifts, going out more, and balancing Greek life along with an array of various campus organizations to drift further and further out of our reach. Suddenly, you find yourself exhausted and burnt out of any and all motivation to now do even the simplest of tasks. You now end up dependent on burying yourself in bed just to find a momentary relief away from the suffocating weight of the countless commitments and stresses that flood your mind the second your consciousness awakens, breaking the dam between your carefree dreams and overcommitted reality. You find that in attempting to tread amongst everything, you are drowning simply trying to grab onto anything.
We live in a society that values the rewards reaped from hard work, and working hard to achieve personal goals truly is a gratifying experience like no other. However, we as a society, seem to push aside the importance of maintaining our mental health, which often begins to fall to pieces the more expectations we stack upon ourselves. All of our aspirations can bring us some form of happiness, both in short and long term ways, but we need to be capable of taking a step back and really evaluating why we want to accomplish these goals. Are we, as students, pulling countless all-nighters to simply ace an exam or to pursue the fullest potential of mental expansion? Are we working out long hours in the gym to work towards a healthier lifestyle or to simply attract an undeserving jock around campus? Are we stretching ourselves out on a limb for our own personal satisfaction, or in an effort to fulfill societal expectations? There is absolutely nothing wrong in finding the perseverance to enjoy your hard work, but when we allow others to map out the blueprints of how our own success should look, and incorporate those demands into our daily lives, we find ourselves lost amongst a sea of useless stressors.
Make the time to sort out which commitments and goals are the most important to you, and determine how you want to diffuse your time and energy. Your hard work is valuable, so don't waste it wearing your mind out in an attempt to dot every "i" and cross every "t" in the overwhelmingly, unachievable idea of everything.
