Hey guys! It's your favorite again. This past week was the hardest week possible. I have been excelling in my work craft, sent out tons of audition videos, practiced every morning and evening, anything dealing with work and school you can name it. I have done it! But the lesson that I have learned this month was "Asking for help." Too many people believe that asking for help can be seen as a weakness. But it can't be seen as a weakness when you apply for the help you asked for everything you need to do and accomplish.

For people who do not know, I am a Vocal Performance major. I am a classically trained singer, and the hardest thing for me to do is not to get vocally tired. I eat appropriately (most days) and drink constant water on the daily, but getting back into the swing of things on the first week of school almost knocked the wind out of me. The majority of December, I decided to take a mental and vocal break from school. The break caused me to focus on making money from work mostly. BIG MISTAKE! I had to work twice as hard in the practice rooms to make up for lost time. I was just given a Lead role in the Opera, had vocal stuff that needed to be prepared and ready by February, and was preparing for my Junior Recital. I was becoming overwhelmed to the point that I didn't know who to talk to. I did the only reasonable thing I could think of without doing anything stupid. I reached out to some musical colleagues and told them about my fatigue. I asked how to conquer it and what other ways to try. I have implemented what my teachers told me, but for some reason, it was making things worse. They had given me great advice such as "Listen to music on repeat to keep your mind engaged," "stop singing for a day to rest," "just do pitch work and focus on what just needs to be fixed," and other tips that I could use. This week, I took a step back from being a superwoman, and I can honestly say it has been a full relief to relax. Of course, I didn't slack on my practicing but instead did it different ways to help keep me engaged and not lose momentum.

In the same week, I had a discussion post that was due. I know, I know. Discussion posts can be very dull and even not worth it, but I was not giving up to save my life. I had to read "A Vindication of the Rights of Women" by Mary Wollstonecraft. If you do not know about this intriguing piece of literature, it was written during 1790. It is a run-off of the letter "A Vindication of the Rights of Men" from the same author. I only had to read two chapters. Easy right? Wrong! Reading this piece of work was the most challenging thing I had to start with this year. I read it over three times and still couldn't answer the questions because I didn't fully understand the text itself. One second I thought I had gotten it; the next, my mind went blank. On the last day to post the discussion post, I planned just to use the entire day to decipher what I needed to do (even if it took all day). I got ready for work and set forth to do what I had to do. Luckily, on this day, I was working with a co-worker who is an actual Philosophy Major. I told him what I was doing and how frustrating this was becoming. Within a split second, he said the simplest thing that I wish I could have thought of. He said, "Why don't you just Google for a summary or an analysis of the work and use that to fuel your opinion." Not only did that help save me from dying on the inside, I was able to answer any question that my teacher had listed on the discussion post. I did my historical research, read the summaries and other analysis-es of the texts, and got a better understanding of the work and its entirety. Google had become my friend, and it was the easiest thing I could have done. The main reason I didn't think of it was the simple fact that I was so stressed and that my mind was too clouded to see the most simple solution to my problems.

I do still believe that if I can do it myself, it will get done. But over the course time, you have to be willing to let others guide you and lend that helping hand. It's more accessible to things and accomplishes goals when you are doing it with other people or allowing others to help you in your time of need. Asking for help can save you when you genuinely need it. It can help you from drowning in your darkness and put you back onto your feet. Moral of the story "Ask for Help!" I hope this read has helped you feel a little bit better about that paper you were struggling to write or research on.

Until next time!

-AJJS