Half Full... At Least! by Catherine

Half Full... At Least! by Catherine - April 2016 Scholarship Essay

Growing up I was always told to put others first. Whether it was holding the door open for the person behind me and let them go ahead, or switching shifts with a co-worker because hopefully they would do the same for me if I needed it. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying we shouldn't hold doors open or switch shifts with co-workers, but what I am saying is: Make sure your cup is at least half full before you give to others.
In other words, you can't take care of other people if you can't take care of yourself.
Years after moving out of my parent's home, I was running myself ragged. I was covering people's shifts at work, giving my friends rides to school, and giving any extra free time to my boyfriend because he wanted to see me. My mom always said I should treat others the way I want to be treated. I always kept that in mind when making any kind of decision. Remind me to tell my mom she should have told me the limit to that statement.
With the schedule I previously mentioned, it was only a matter of time before I: started performing poorly at work, wasn't doing well in school, and did nothing but fight with my boyfriend. I was doing too much and it was killing me.
And the worst part was, I was so conditioned to putting others before me I was completely blind as to the cause of my problems!
If there is one piece of advice I would tell younger students, it would be: make sure to take care of yourself, otherwise you won't be able to take care of others. If you need a day to just be with yourself, then do it. If you need to say “No” to things in order to keep your sanity, then say “No” and don’t feel bad. You need to make sure you’re a priority in your own life.
You can’t help anyone if you can’t help yourself.