Am I too busy?

I thought this in my head as I realized that my planner was filled with minute-to-minute plans, leaving me with sleep-deprived days and leaving my favorite people in the dust.

Think about the people in your life who make you smile, make your day better and even make you better.

Now make it a point to let those friends, significant others and family members know you appreciate them.

You may be busy with your job, school, internships and projects, but your fast-paced life can’t put human interaction on the back burner.

People need attention and need to feel like they’re important to you.

Trust me, I learned the hard way.

I recently was told that I’m too busy and watched someone who’s very important to me walk out of my life.

This was a wake up call for me and I had to reevaluate my day-to-day schedule. Previously, it was very fast paced and often left me wondering if I’d get any sleep on any given night. I thought that grabbing life by the reins and saying yes to every opportunity would fill my life with thrill.

I thought to myself, if Beyoncé can conquer the world and still be happily married with a beautiful baby, then I surely can also juggle my busy life, though it’s on a much smaller scale.

My hat’s off to Queen B because I didn’t succeed in my efforts.

Instead, I had a go, go, go mentality and never really enjoyed the moment I was in or the people whom I was with.

This overwhelming approach to life that left people feeling neglected was unintentional, and now I’m determined to make things right.

I’ve made some changes and moved on from some very big parts of my life, including an internship that I had for the past year and a half.

It seemed like this was the right time to slow down and breathe, though in fact I’m unfortunately already too late.

I need to prioritize my time to still focus on school and my hopeful career of being the next Kelly Ripa, but also ensure that I have time set aside for the important people in my life.

So family and friends, leave the door open and stock up on your skim milk because I’m coming over!

Take it from me — don’t wait until it’s too late to realize what your life would be like without someone in it. I promise you that it isn’t better.

No jam-packed schedule, filled with exciting opportunities or resume builders, will make up for the absence of the person who was your motivation to tackle all of those jobs in the first place.

Rather than taking on too much responsibility and having a lot on your plate, instead take some time to enjoy a nice meal on a plate surrounded by the people you love.

Don’t take people for granted. They’ll move on to people who will appreciate them. You don’t want to sit in your room thinking about how you should’ve done more. Those thoughts after the fact are too late and won’t help you at all. That person’s already gone.

Moving forward, I’m excited for this fresh start. I’ve taken this bump in the road as a learning opportunity. It’s time for me to prove that I know I’m so blessed to have my mom, big sisters and besties who make every day a happy for one for me.

I’m excited to still have time to work hard in college and gain experience in my future field, however I’m most excited to once again make time for the most important part of my life: my people.

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: @LiveWithColly