Here it is, 1:21 a.m., and I still haven't finished my to-do list. Instead of dwelling on it, I've decided that I'm tired and a good night of rest would be more conducive to my well-being.

I know my limits, and I know when it's time to let myself take a breather. Although I've literally been doing homework all day and I only left my room twice, with one of them being a dinner break, I'm still not finished with everything that I sought to accomplish today. My room is in complete disarray, I haven't washed my sheets in three weeks, there are textbooks and shoes littering the floor, I haven't showered, and my bed hasn't been made since Wednesday. And it's okay.

Because you know what I have done today? I did textbook reading for a class days in advance and completed a subsequent assignment for it. I exercised my passion and wrote an article about a fun experience I had with a friend way before my deadline. I worked ahead for Spanish and started studying for a quiz long before it's actually necessary so I'm not as stressed later. I finished three-quarters of a paper that I've been worried about for a week now. I worked on a semester-long writing project. I went to yoga. I've been successful today.

In my everyday life, I struggle to shift the focus away from the negative. So often I get caught up in what I haven't checked off my to-do list that I negate the work I have done, which is completely detrimental to my well-being. I know that I push myself, albeit a little too hard at times, but I'm only shaping my character. I want to be a strong individual who knows that my accomplishments are in direct correlation with my effort. If I fail to recognize what I've achieved on a daily basis, how will I ever be able to recognize major achievements?

Positive self-image is so important, and that's why I challenge everyone to take a deep breath and acknowledge your internal strength and potential. Don't let yourself hone in on what you haven't done yet, instead think of what you have done and realize that what you have left is so easy compared to what you already finished. Take the day one step at a time, and know that you are so enough. Though you may have an entire laundry list of things you've yet to accomplish (and maybe even an actual laundry list of things that need cleaning, like myself), it's okay. You'll get it done.

The other day, a friend was starting to break down to me about how stressed she was with assignments and deadlines and how she felt like she couldn't manage it all. Truth be told, that's kind of how I felt today, sitting on my bed and working through a really dense block of text, knowing I had ten million other things I could be doing than trying to understand one little paragraph of a textbook. When that happens, just remind yourself that it will get done. You will eventually finish everything. You always do. Sometimes you need to adjust your schedule to account for a little bit of extra work, but it will all work out. You always end up finishing. It always ends up being okay, so why would this time be any different?

I'm still learning. Especially in this transitory time of college, prioritizing is hard. It sucks. But the victory of finally feeling finished is so worth the struggle. Put in the hard work now so that you can one day bask in the glow of achievement and know that everything was worth it.

And one day you'll complete everything, just like you always do.