I am tired. Exhausted, actually.

I have 18 credit hours. I work just 9 hours below full time, I have two majors, a minor, the honors program, I have classes Monday through Friday, and I work Friday through Monday. I don't have a single day off. I also write for The Odyssey weekly (as you guys already know, because this is published on The Odyssey.) At this, point, saying "I'm exhausted" is an understatement.

But I have never felt so alive; I am easily motivated to continue this journey.

Maybe I'm more exhausted than I've ever been in my life, but that means nothing to me at the moment. I will not back down, and I will not quit. I don't even have the urge to do so.

I am a hard worker; I always have been, and I always will be. I know exactly where I want to be in life, and I have been executing my plan since senior year of high school. This is only the beginning, and the best is yet to come.

I've faced bumps in the road, but those won't stop me. Nothing will stop me. I will strive right through the end of this journey.

Everyone asks me, "How do you do it?" But the answer is simple: I want to do it. I want to build my dream life, I want to rely only on the work of myself, and I do not expect help from others. I can take myself as far as I let myself go, and that is exactly what I am doing.

I love and take pride in everything I do. Sure, I may have some classes here and there that I do not enjoy, but that's life. There will always be things that are less exciting than others. The key is to focus on your overall goal, where you want to be, and what is exciting that's right in front of you.

Even though my life is incredibly busy at the moment, I couldn't ask for a better one. I am a hard worker, I am driven, and I am determined. Those three characteristics will take me far, and I recognize that.

Even so, it is immensely difficult at times, often to the point in which I begin to shut down because I get so stressed.

I am my own worst critic. Just a couple of weeks ago, I got a 95 on a test, and I began to get frustrated with myself. I am only pushing myself to be the best I can be, and I always positively reinforce my own thoughts in order to stay on top of such a hectic life.

That is the key; positive thinking. Everybody has the power to accomplish so much, it just all comes down to whether or not you will let yourself feel doubt, or if you will push yourself past where you think your limits are in order to create a life you love.

I am pushing myself now to build the foundation for the rest of my life, and it will surely pay off in the end.