I have always been a multi-faceted individual. Someone who desires to do so many things that I just want to do all of them. All throughout my childhood and adolescence, I was a figure skater, a competing swimmer, I played violin, piano, took voice lessons, participated in community service programs, and had a job. I've always loved being busy and living a fast-paced life. So much so, that I didn't know how to slow down.

It also wasn't until a few months ago, now in my sophomore year of college, that I realized that I did not know how to say "no".

A natural multi-tasker, I desired to do everything at once, not even realizing the toll it was taking on my body and my relationships with those around me. Not only was I carrying 18 credit hours, I was in three string ensembles, participating in a fall sport, taking private voice lessons, taking violin lessons, enrolled in choir, and had a job. That's not even including my academics at school.

A close friend said to me one day, "I think you're overloaded. You are always stressed out and are just too busy."

At first I pushed the thought out of my mind. I'm fine. But soon, I realized that this was quite true. I WAS overloaded. I wasn't nice to be around anymore because I was so stressed out and busy. I also didn't have any free time anymore either. I was starting to burn out.

That's when I realized that I had to let some things go and say no. This semester I removed a few courses. Weeks later, I began to feel the difference in myself and my schedule, and I was a lot happier in the long run.

The point? Life is all about balance in every aspect of one's life. If one area gets unbalanced, so do the other ones. It's a delicate & fragile equation. It's important to not take on more than we can handle. When great opportunities knock on our door, we always have the chance to say yes. Yet, more often than not, we forget that we also have the chance to say "no" to what is not good for us.

Much love - xoxo