If I could describe the way my life has been going for the past three weeks, I would say that I have been on a treadmill. But, I have been on a treadmill that is going too fast. If my best speed I could possibly muster is an 8.0, then the speed that my life has me on is 11.5, and I simply cannot keep up.

I am sprinting with everything I have, trying to stay on, trying to not fall, but I am barely surviving. It’s not that things are going wrong, it is that there are too many things simply happening that require my maximum attention, maximum effort, maximum sprint, and I cannot maintain it.

Just like running on a treadmill, in the midst of a busy life, you eventually start to become tired and broken down. I felt like I was gasping for breath, searching for the smallest bit of air, of a break, but with little success. Seeing that I was struggling, one of my close friends sat me down and said, “To simplify is not to make something easier, it is rather to get rid of something extra.”

At first, I looked at her like she was crazy. How could I get rid of any of the items on my agenda? Everything needed to be done, and it needed to be done now. Didn’t it? Then, I realized what she was saying. She did not mean to stop doing everything I was participating it; but, rather, focus intently on the task at hand.

For example, when I am working on my essay that is due tomorrow, I should not also be thinking about the test I also need to study for later in the night, and the game against the best team in the conference two days away. If I am able to zone in on the essay at that moment in time, then I will write a better essay, faster, and with less stress.

By getting rid of the extra thoughts and stressors, I can simplify my worries, my feelings, and what needs to be accomplished. I will still be able to accomplish all that needs to be accomplished; but, I can do so in a much more pleasant way.

Most of what I am involved in is because I chose to be a participant. I chose to go to college. I chose to play a collegiate sport, and I chose to be involved in extra-curricular activities across campus. Therefore, I should be enjoying my busy schedule rather than being suffocated by it. By removing the extra, and simplifying the right way, I can enjoy life much more and run at the 8.0 speed I need to get the most out of every day.