Full plates and planners is a lifestyle I like to live by. Leading a life as a full-time student, with a part-time night job, who's also in two clubs is normal right? Having a full-time Monday - Friday job in the summer, two online classes, regular doctors visits, and still travel with your family is completely casual, right? Completing two internships in one summer, going on multiple vacations, and completing three classes is an average thing to do, correct? Wrong.
The only time having eyes bigger than your stomach should apply is with your Thanksgiving plate and at Orange Leaf, because they now charge by size and not weight (you best believe I'm packing those toppings in).
A wise woman once told me that if I can't help myself, I am no help to others. Being a master of spreading myself thin, I have to wonder if that would make me a selfish person; putting myself first. If I say no to someone needing help, am I mean? If I don't step up to take on tasks at work without being asked, am I a bad employee? If I don't run a full-credit load each semester, am I really getting my money's worth? These are just some of the dozens of questions I ask myself when trying to make even the simplest of decisions.
If you spread yourself too thin, or give away too much of your pie, though: you're going to crumble under the pressure.
It's really a basic rule. If you're no help to yourself, you're no help to others. Yet we are awful at following this type of advice because we think we can conquer the world. Do we have some kind of complex?
I'm not saying don't get involved, don't help out your friends, or to say "no" to plans. Just keep your schedule in mind and what's already on your plate before taking a big bite out of something new.