Raise your hand if you know someone who can’t say no to anything.
If all of you who know me personally didn’t just raise your hand, it’s because you just weren’t listening, so I’ll ask again.
Raise your hand if you know someone who can’t say no to anything.
I’m assuming everyone I know just reconsidered and raised their hand because that is 100 per cent me.
I’m the one who’s to-do list is a mile long. The one running from class, to work, to meetings, to study groups, to errands, to extra-curricular activities to any number of other things I’ve committed myself to.
The one with five minutes between each obligation and the need to get across town. The one who gets concerned when my phone buzzes because, oh good Lord, what else could be happening today?
The one who has three changes of clothes in her car: one for class, one for that meeting I have to go to, another for work and one extra just in case.
The one having a mild panic in the bathroom. The one who always says yes. The one who has a sick, warped inability to say no.
Many people don’t understand why I do this. Hell, I don’t even understand why I do this. I just do.
I’m just one of those people that everyone depends on, one of those creatures who just cannot say no when the cry for help comes my way, even when I desperately want to. I’m often the go-to person when people’s lives are a big catastrophic disaster.
What’s worse? My self-worth often lies in my ability to help others. Lately, I’ve realized I need to take a deep breath and shake my head. I need a reality check.
There is only so much time in a day, 24 hours to be exact.
I have finally realized, there is a difference between being involved and stretching yourself too thin. There is also a difference between making the most of the college experience and driving myself into the ground.
Pushing myself is good, but pushing myself head-first into every overzealous commitment that comes my way is just bananas.
In the grand scheme of things, my empathy and ambition are what makes me who I am, but I can no longer allow myself to be lost within that.
I am only one person; I cannot save the world. So I guess I’ll have to learn to just say no.
