Be Your Own Teammate First: Experiences Learned from Walking Away What I learned from saying no to the Flag Football World Championships.

I'm a lifelong go-getter. It's a quality that has led me to some of my proudest accomplishments: VP of a startup; fellow in a professional development program; coach and medal-winning competitive weightlifter; high school teacher through Teach for America; board member of several organizations and in my spare time, a wedding planner. Persistence is in my DNA, and there's no doubt that this attitude has helped me thrive in a society that rewards doers.

Yet, perhaps the most valuable lesson of my adult life is that sometimes it's actually good to throw in the towel.

Last year, I was a member of Israel's National Flag Football team. A team that I love and a commitment that I cherished. But it meant many months of coming home sore and tired at midnight with a six am wakeup awaiting the next day. All while struggling to fall asleep as I sorted through the numerous other commitments I had on my plate.