I am reading this book called “The Achievement Trap” by Brandilyn Tebo, and it has opened my eyes as to why so many students and professionals are seemingly obsessed with achievements, accolades, and success. Sure, every human feels good about doing great things, winning an award, or achieving something big; but at a certain point, it sometimes gets to an unhealthy level. I noticed we live in a culture now where young people (20s-30s) or K-12 students are surrounding their whole lives around competing with who has the longest resume, who has the highest SAT/ACT scores, and who has the most achievements and awards. Accolades, Congressional medals, volunteering, professional involvement, work, studies, AP exams, IB exams, clubs, research projects, internships, sports, and can’t forget the social life – these are all important, but how do you make time for everything? The short answer – you really can’t. Something is going to give one way or another at some point. It is overwhelming to balance all of this to say the least, but for some reason we all have to do it, otherwise we risk not excelling in our professional and academic lives. I am not even through 10% of this book and I already have learned so much from it. I hope to write a book like this one day, because I have a lot of opinions on this topic…

There seems to exist a culture today where everyone is high-energy, on go-mode, and just cannot afford to stop or rest. This is not the culture that is going to foster good mental health. In fact, by exhibiting this behavior, I’ve come to realize it actually inhibits progress, often making us so overworked that we have to go back and re-do a task, assignment, or fix an error. Not to mention the feelings of “not being good enough” or struggling with neglecting physical health, relationships, or most importantly, your own mental health setting in.

Sometimes, things happen when you just don’t expect them to.

In March of this year, I was supposed to attend the Women in Aviation 2025 conference in Denver. I was so excited for the event, as it is a testament to females involved with the aerospace/aviation sector, and I usually attend every year for networking opportunities and to meet other national members. Unexpectedly, life hit me hard in March, tanking my mental health.

But this was a testament to my strength. Believing in myself enough to know what is best for me and what was right.

I had to make the very difficult decision to cancel my trip at the last minute. I felt terrible. I realized just then – I can’t do everything.

I really made myself believe that I could do everything. It had come to a tipping point, and I just had to throw my hands up. I took the next few days to myself. To reset and make some time for myself. Ironically, at first, I had to cancel with one of my best friends that I haven’t seen in years because I was going to be out of town for a conference. But it just so happens that I was able to attend her birthday dinner in Orlando because I was no longer going to be out of town. I was so happy to see her after so many years, and I got to ask her to be my bridesmaid in person too, gifting her a bracelet and card. The better part – it was at Disney, so I got to go to my favorite happy place for a day.

We had some great food, celebrated my friend’s birthday, and I got a new pair of Minnie Ears.

I started focusing on the top things one at a time: mental health, school, work, and wedding planning of course!

I picked out my perfect princess wedding dress shortly after my trip to Disney. I have had all of the love and support throughout this whole wedding planning process. Having a good support group is absolutely vital.

In June, I attended the annual FABA conference in Tampa, FL! This was an incredible opportunity to network, meet the other board of directors at the Florida Aviation Business Association (FABA), and gain the opportunity to speak on a panel! Can’t wait for next year’s conference and to share all that FABA has accomplished by then.

I serve as a NASA Lucy Ambassador, where I volunteer to inform the public of NASA’s mission to the Trojan Asteroids. In June, I also presented at my very first venue – The Deltona Regional Library. This library has its own nature trail and so many environmental exhibits. It was the coolest thing ever! I loved spending the day here and my audience had a great time at my presentation. I can’t wait for my next talk, so stay tuned for that location!

June was just jam-packed for me – guess what else?! I’m a podcaster now!

Okay but seriously, I received the opportunity to talk on the “Let’s Talk Girl Scouts Podcast” and spoke to 2 Citrus Council Girl Scouts. During the episode, we talked about what it means to be a female in STEM, what my most memorable moments are, and how to overcome adversity. This storytelling event really drove home for me what life is all about. I appreciate the ladies of Citrus Council for this opportunity and be on the lookout for this episode of this podcast on Spotify and LinkedIn (and even some future episodes down the road that we have planned)!

I like to be well-rounded, very involved, and I am constantly growing and learning. So far, I have taken a summer course, MA 510, attended a conference, worked on my thesis, presented at my first venue for the NASA Lucy Ambassador Volunteer role, recorded a podcast with the Girl Scouts of Citrus Council, celebrated my 4-year work anniversary at Olive Garden, and have been planning my summer wedding. Ironically, this post is somewhat of an oxymoron. I am blogging about all of the crazy busy things I have been doing, but yet I also took time for myself, and in some cases, chose my mental health over school/work/volunteering for once. I think this dynamic is important to recognize just how challenging it can be to take a step back.

In closing – My Advice to Anyone Who Needs to Hear They Are Enough: don’t compare yourself to others. You are in your own lane, on your own timeline, and directing your own story.

Ciao for now.