~:[CH8 - Day 19]:~ Taking a Deep Breath

~:[CH8 - Day 19]:~ Taking a Deep Breath

It can be nerve-wracking to stand in front of a crowd, but sometimes, simply taking a deep breath can help. It also can help to relieve that stress and help you move forward. The last three months have been some of the busiest three of my life. While I anticipated it and planned accordingly, it still became quite overwhelming. From ending cross country season, a good number of days away, and a huge amount of deadlines and events, I felt like I was going to go crazy at some point, but every once in awhile, I took a deep breath. It was my fault for stacking things on top of one another, but in the end, I found a way to make it through. I have a week that will be a little more mellow before things pick up again, but I know that in the end, I will be able to make it. Every year, I see the freshmen find the same immense load of work in front of them and I see their faces thinking, can I do this? Some give up before they even try, but then I see a number of them tackle it and as they do, they learn and they grow. Today was one of the days where I saw them grow the most and while there was frustration from a poorly run conference, I saw delegates who kept their focus despite the distractions and also ones that took that same deep breath and headed into the gauntlet. Life will never make it easy on us and while it gives us rewards, it's only after we have proven that they are deserved. Just remember that you have what it takes to make it. Plan, be confident and take that deep breath. You may fail the first time, but keep at it and eventually you'll find that breath through you've searched for all along. While I look forward to finally finding some "mellow normal life kind of things," I continue to grow as I keep facing up to all the challenges that come my way. Breathe and let's go!