I struggle a lot. My friends used to call me the struggle bus driver. I constantly fight with myself to maintain good grades, work hard at my job, have a social life, and be a good friend. Life ain't easy. I complain a lot because "life sucks." I sometimes wait thirty minutes in line to get food in the dining hall. I only budget for Starbucks once a week. My apartment can be too cold sometimes. I can't drive home every weekend because gas is "expensive."
I'm obviously living such a terrible life. That is one huge lie. Life is great, but as a college student, I am prone to complaining about the stupidest things. I don't pay attention to how great life actually is. I can go to Starbucks, the dining hall, and I have to air-condition. I am surrounded by people that complain about the same silly things when we don't realize how lucky we actually are.
I did a devotion this summer as a camp counselor that I constantly reflect on to remind myself how great life is. I think it is time us college students, or anyone, had a reality check.
If you are a college student, you are luckier than 70% of people.
A college education is blessing that you can't take for granted, specifically when it costs so much nowadays. Focus on your studies, but also all the opportunities you are given. They don't happen for everyone.
If you have a roof over your head, you are in the top 48% of people in America.
I hear every single person at least once complain about their dorm room, apartment, or house. It doesn't make us a bad person. Our dorm room may actually be the size of a shoe box and our house may actually have a leaky roof, but at least we have somewhere to sleep at night.
If your parents pay for college, you are in the top 23% of students in the United States.
Students are so lucky. We go to college, skip classes, and pray we do well on exams. Many of those students have their parents paying for college and I want to shake them. I calculated that if I was to miss class that would be around 57 dollars. I don't have 57 dollars lying around and neither do my parents.
If you graduate college without any student loans, you are in the top 34% of students in the United States.
You, my friend, are the luckiest. Student loans are huge for almost every single college student. If you walk out of school without them or your parents are paying them you better scream with joy every moment you have.
If you are stressed, but continue your day to day living, you are in the top 91% of college students.
This needs to be talked about. 9% of college students every year have considered committing suicide. We need to stop saying we want to die, are consumed with stress, or are done. It isn't a joke. If you are struggling, please reach out to counseling services or call 1-800-273-8255.
If you have access to safe water, you are one out of ten people that do.
The third leading cause of children's deaths is diarrhea because of water borne illnesses. If you get access to clean water every day, you are so much luckier than you think. Drink that water, don't just have one glass a day.
If you have more than a dollar in your pocket or in your bank account to live every day, you are in the top 80% of the United States.
20 percent of Americans live on a dollar a day or less. If you buy a drink at Starbucks, you are spending four more days worth of money for someone to live. I'm not trying to guilt your coffee consumption, but it sure makes you put things into perspective.
If you have a cell phone, you contribute to the fact more people have phones in the world than toilets.
Did you hear that? There are more cellphones in the world than toilets. More cellphones than toilets.
It's easy to think our lives suck. It is easy to wake up in the morning and complain. It is also easy to turn on your running water and take a thirty-minute shower. It's super easy to wait in line at the dining call to get all you can eat food. We need to stop complaining so much and start making a change for the people that aren't as lucky as we are. College students can be the biggest source of change since there are so many of us. Make the change.
