Today I am thankful for mentors, advisors and counselors. Today I was reminded of the fact that no matter what I am going through, there is always someone in my life who is there to offer support, guidance, encouragement and motivation. As a person who is generally pretty self-sufficient and independent, I sometimes find that my desire to handle situations on my own can cause me to forget, at times, that I have a plethora of mentors, advisors and counselors in my life who have been purposely placed there by God because they are able to be there for me in a way that is needed at that particular time, and vice versa.
As human beings, we often become so encumbered with the many decisions, circumstances and trials that life brings our way, that we jeopardize our health and wellbeing by taking on more of a burden than we were ever intended to bear. Yes, it is a great feeling to know that you have managed to pay all of your bills for the month, successfully completed that big project at work that you have been working on for four weeks, sewn a costume for your child’s school’s pageant, proctored three LSAT administrations, and still found time to teach English as a Second Language at your local community center.
But when you look back on all of these accomplishments, more than likely you will realize that you are exhausted and that you have missed out on truly enjoying those experiences. And after that realization dawns on you, you will then realize that you could have asked your best friend to help you sew the costume (she’s a clothing designer and she loves your children to boot), relied a little more heavily on the other member of your team at work instead of tackling the big project all by yourself, only proctored two LSAT administrations instead of all three, and allowed your ESL students to give presentations as opposed to you giving a lecture. This would have freed up at least 35% more of your time, during which you could have spent some quality time with your husband and children, and even taken a little time to pamper yourself a little.
It is always great to be independent, hard working and determined. Yet, it is essential to know when to rely on others, and to actually make it a point to rely on them. Some of us know that we need to depend on others at times, but we still insist on doing everything ourselves. Balance is key. If you insist on doing everything yourself at all times, you will ultimately find that you are not bringing your best self to any of the situations that you are involved in, and that you are likely not enjoying yourself nearly as much as you could.
The takeaway here is that it is essential to have trustworthy people in your life who support you, encourage you and motivate you. And it is absolutely essential that you allow them to be there for you and help you. For those of you who are already living a life in balance, I wish for you more of the same. For those of you who have yet to adopt a lifestyle of balance, I encourage you to try it. You just might find that it’s not as hard as it may seem. #lovebythedrop
love by the drop 