A letter to the overachievers:

Dear friends... Dear me,



I know how you feel.



Being an overachiever comes with it's many pluses and minuses. Sometimes you feel invincible, like nothing can stop you from getting that next thing done, marking the next item off your checklist, finishing up that final to do. Sure, you can add that to your plate! One more thing won't hurt. Let me paint a picture for you: You've finally done 5 things right, took out the trash, put up the laundry, wrote and mailed out a thank you letter, and you're on cloud 9. And decide you need a "nap." And then you wake up the next day and remember the 15 other things you haven't completed and it seems to negate all the hard work you put in yesterday and you feel like a pile of poo. But the next day, it's the same thing. SURE, I can do that! SURE I can add this on! No. NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It's not real.

Learn to say no.
Keeping you mental sanity isn't selfish. It's normal. It's healthy. It's necessary.
Yes, you can do all things through Him who gives you strength, but that doesn't mean EVERYTHING. You're not supposed to do everything. You're not meant to.

You have to do the best with what you have where you're at.

And for those of you who currently have the liberty to decide, let me just say a few things:

1. Follow your heart. This is cliche, but it's true. Go towards the things you're drawn to. Invest yourself in things that you actually care about.
2. Don't do it for anyone else. Now this is where it may seem to become selfish, but don't base what you spend your life on around anyone else but God and yourself. This isn't to be confused with giving back. GIVE BACK. Give to others. Use your life to serve God and to serve others. What I'm saying is, don't think you have to be an accountant because that's what your mom wants. Don't think you have to go serve in missions in Alaska because you saw your second cousin do it. No. No. No. You are an individual. You are unique. God specifically gave you certain interests and passions for a reason. Don't fight them. Embrace them. You will find ways to serve and live a God honoring life through these gifts and will flourish and excel and be happy. You can be self-sacrificing and joyous. The two don't have to be mutually exclusive if your heart's in it.
3. Go for the gold!!!!You don't know unless you try. Let your light shine. You're going to do amazing. You're going to learn SO much. You're going to make mistakes. IT'S OKAY. People who make you feel like it's not okay, forget about their attitudes, IT'S OKAY. You're human. It happens. They've been there too, they just forgot what it was like. Be earnest. Do your best.
4. Be kind to yourself. Take care of you first. This isn't to say be selfish or be greedy, but if you haven't taken care of yourself first, you won't be able to adequately give to others. In one of my leadership opportunities, they urged us to serve from the "overflow", meaning being so filled with Christ that our cup overflows and we are able to give and give because of that. This is because that's how it's supposed to be, but also because that's how it works best. If you are worn and tired and empty, you won't be able to give abundantly. And if you try to do so anyways, you might be left feeling even more so. AND THIS IS NO WAY TO LIVE. Mostly because you don't have to.

So I address this little note to me and also to you. I'm an overachiever and maybe you are too. I was running a little bit on E and needed a little wake up call that my life has the opportunity to be whatever I want it to be. And what a blessing that is. I had become so consumed with everything I felt I must do, I forgot what it was that I even wanted to do, what I enjoyed and what I earnestly cared about. And this was that little wake up call for me. I hope this was the push some of you needed too.

All my love, Kelsey.