"Can you help me with this?"
Those words followed me everywhere growing up.
At home, my younger siblings would call my name whenever they needed something. In school, classmates often came to me when they had a problem. Even among my friends, I somehow became the person everyone depended on.
And my answer was almost always the same.
"I'm on it."
At first, I liked being that person. It felt good to be needed. It made me feel responsible and useful.
But over time, I realized something.
I was so busy solving everyone else's problems that I forgot to take care of myself.
I said, "I'm on it" to every request, every favour, and every responsibility, even when I was exhausted.
One evening, after a particularly stressful day, I sat alone and asked myself a difficult question:
"Who says 'I'm on it' when I need help?"
The answer was simple.
I had to.
That night, I decided that being dependable doesn't mean carrying the whole world on your shoulders. It also means knowing when to rest, when to ask for help, and when to say, "I can't do this alone."
I still love helping people, and I still say those three words often.
But now, whenever life becomes overwhelming, I say them to myself too.
"I'm on it."
Not to fix everyone else's problems, but to take care of my own heart, my dreams, and my peace of mind.
