Coming from Puerto Rico it was so exciting to get to know students from the younger PLA cohorts. Beforehand, I was familiar with only some of the students from the junior class, and even less from the sophomore class. Especially with over 70 students attending the Puerto Rico spring break trip, this was my opportunity to learn more about so many of them. I am continuously amazed by the involvement and variety of activities that students have within PLA, and it brings back memories of my ambitious extracurricular schedule earlier in my college career.
A conversation that constantly circulates throughout the PLA groups is, “How much involvement is too much?” With all of us in trying to maximize our time here in college and have the largest impact, it is a fair question that always needs to be answered. I overheard a discussion between Nic Freda and Sara Silversmith, as Nic thoroughly explained his experiences for high efficiency with classes and extracurriculars, and I had a number of similar talks with students from all years. There was however, one comment that particularly stuck out in my head from Bri Adams. She noted that regardless of your situation and involvement levels, it is the utmost importance to have self-awareness ~ or truly a self-kindness ~ for your needs, such as sleep, stress management, relaxation, and overall happiness, while staying in your involvements. This was the most eye-opening for me because I think that so many people overlook the needed self-awareness to have maximum involvement without being a detriment to themselves.
The Golden Rule is to treat others as you would want to be treated. After being involved in activities for several years, it is so easy to remained focused on treating others a specific way but it is absolutely necessary to reflect how you personally must treat yourself. Whether it is that sleeping several hours a day is needed to recharge, or playing a sport or videogame balances your stress levels, too often I feel that people do not understand and partake in what is necessary for them to stay from ‘burning out’ because of involvement. It will always be important to treat others well and with respect as a leader or entrepreneur, but the first mandatory step is constantly treating yourself well and having that self-kindness for maximum engagement.
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