This month I challenged my mom to the 30-Day Minimalism Game and this feels like the beginning of something amazing. As I mentioned in the article about podcasts, it’s been interesting to learn about what it means to be a minimalist. Rather than it being about “stuff," it’s really about values. The goal is to do and have things that add value to your life. When you add things or do things that make you happy, then you are happy. Seems easy right? Well, I learned the hard way that sometimes it’s not all that easy.

This week, in a surprising turn of events (for both me and others around me), I stepped down as the president of my organization. That was one of the hardest things that I had done in a while. But after a conversation with my mom about my health, I realized that I was making a variety of excuses. In the end, I really wasn’t take care of myself. I would talk a big game to everyone, emphasizing the importance of emotional, mental, and physical health. But when it came to me, I was making all the wrong things a priority.Because of the overwhelming things I had to take care of, I quit going to crossfit, stopped meal prepping, stopped practicing or learning instruments, reading for fun, writing outside of my classes and other things that make me happy. By this point in the year, I was trying to make it all work. Blocking out my schedule to make time for everything, seemed impossible and in my second week back at school I already stopped taking care of my priorities.

As I've learned through The Minimalists, sometimes you need to give yourself permission to let go. And that goes for people, things and beliefs that don't make you happy. So if something isn't making you happy like you think it should, maybe it's time to let it go. It can be hard to make these decisions, but with the best intentions you have the power to change your life.