My parents raised me with the mindset of don’t receive but earn. They set hard work as an expectation for me at an early age. Not just hard work, but putting in that extra effort and exceeding the expectations placed on you. While I get tired and want to slack off, the reward for setting and achieving goals helps keeps me going. I do believe that hard work is the backbone of this country, and I strive to keep pushing forward no matter what I do.

I am thankful for the work ethic that my parents ingrained in me. However, I am guilty of sometimes focusing too much on work. Whether it is school, a job, or an internship, I forget to take a moment to breathe. We live in a world of “go, go, go,” where taking a break is automatically assumed as laziness.

Everyone needs a break.

No matter if you are a student, in the workforce, parent, etc, you deserve a break. Pressure from society pushes us past our boundaries in good and bad ways. Growth often comes from going outside of one’s comfort zone and pushing one’s limits, but people are like safety valves. We can handle excessive amounts of pressure, but if we don’t relieve some of the pressure, we can malfunction and even blow.

One way of combating this is to know your boundaries. Don’t be afraid to say no when people ask for favors. You cannot expect yourself to perform at your peak performance if you are mentally and physically drained.

The reality of the life is that everything can change at a moment’s notice. In the end, your grades, clothes, awards, and jobs will not matter. So I urge you to take a moment for yourself whenever you can.

Scratch that — MAKE a moment for yourself. Make the moment as big or small as you wish. Take a walk. Take a vacation. Pamper yourself. Skip that class to take a much-deserved nap. Just remember to take a moment and smell the metaphorical and physical roses.