It is so easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of daily life. The society we live in seems to only care about success through working terms (alright, only may be a bit of an exaggeration, but it sure feels like this most of the time), which leaves a lot of us feeling unsuccessful in an assortment of ways. I feel this way all the time: I just finished my freshman year of college and I’m not traveling across the country to land my dream internship (or any internship for that matter), I’m not fighting tooth and nail to build some astonishing resume, and I haven’t saved the world yet. Yes, this seems like an extreme exaggeration, but I have always looked at my life through this lens. Yes, I have a 3.8 gpa, I volunteer and work and involve myself in plenty of things, but it’s never good enough. I focus on everything I haven’t done, everything I could have done, and everything I should have done. I think a lot of people look at life this way, and when I truly think about it, it is unfortunate and damaging. We take very little time to appreciate and reward ourselves for the things we have achieved before we recede to our old ways of negative introspection. There is a heck of a lot of external pressure in this world, and for people like me, who already put way too much pressure on themselves, it’s incredibly overwhelming. By society’s terms, I always deem myself a failure. Why am I not doing more, accomplishing more, striving for more than I already am? Well the truth is, I could always be doing more, and so could everybody else on this earth. We could all be pushing ourselves until we’re blue in the face and turn ourselves into work-horse robots, at a certain point, it’s just crazy- it needs to stop. This earth is too beautiful and fun for us to not enjoy it, appreciate it, and cherish it. I am MEANT to enjoy life. It is OKAY to relax (often). It is OKAY to not be the best at everything. It is OKAY to make happiness your number one priority, and if some kind of job, internship, or resume crap- yes I said it- is getting in the way of that, figure out a new plan, and get that negative energy out of your life. I have a lot I hope to accomplish one day, and just because I haven’t accomplished every single part of it at the tender age of 19 certainly does not make me a failure.  Of course, ambition is a great part of this journey, but happiness and fulfillment are equally as important. The universe has a plan for you (and in my personal belief, this is God), but regardless of what you believe, there is a plan for you in this world. Yes, you have to do your part, but the world will fall into place the way it is supposed to (thank you to a wonderful person in my life that reminds me of this all the time). So take some pressure off, and trust that what is meant to be, will be. For all I know, I could die tomorrow. I sure hope not, I have a lot of life left to live, but if I do, I want to know that I lived a life of happiness. I have chosen to see life through this new lens, or at least try to. I hope to embrace what I have done, and take more time to truly appreciate my accomplishments- and live a life full of balance. After all, this world is beautiful, take the time to enjoy it!