As I sit home now instead of my cozy dorm room, getting ready to go to work as opposed to class, I really think it’s time college students reconsider their motivation factors. At my job, there are consequences to deciding moments before a shift not to show up–there are no such consequences for missing my huge lecture. At school, there is always something I could be doing instead of studying, but at home there are thousands of things I need to do in a single day and could easily decide to just sit on the couch instead. For a productive summer, I need to consider what’s best for me. It is said we all make 35,000 decisions in a day, and these excuses might make you aware of when you’re making a bad one.

We all want to be successful, and we all have our hard working days and the days where we have to mentally check out. I get it. But if you say you want to be happy and successful yet you don’t act, it’s hard for me to be sympathetic. I’ve found removing these excuses from my life has made me a much happier and seemingly successful girl.

1.“The timing just isn’t right.”

It’s hard to understand that life just happens. I believe that if you think timing is perfect, it’s because you got lucky and wanted what happened to happen in that moment. You may not have known it, but you’ve got the right attitude. Imagine if instead of pitying yourself every time something doesn’t go quite right, you just kept moving forward. If you want the girl/boy, go after her/him before it’s too late. If you want that job, don’t put in minimal effort because “too many other things are going on.” When you align the right priorities with a positive attitude, you can only move up.

2.“I would, but I think something better is probably going to come along, and I’m going to take my chances.”

You cannot predict the future. If you sit around banking on a better opportunity later, you’re going to be really disappointed a lot of the time. If you think you found a special connection with a girl/boy, but you’re not exactly sure they’re perfect for you, you shouldn’t just run away. If you wanted to get an invitation to a particular event and you deny another offer that same day, you could very well end up alone and considered a flake. I know giving your word is scary, but sitting back and watching the show pass by in front of you will result in a lot of missed opportunities.

3. “They said they got it.”

You cannot rely on others like you can rely on yourself. If something matters to you, do not abandon it. I am not saying to reject help, I am saying to make sure you know that if you are supposed to be involved–in a group project or departmental report–don’t let presentation day come around without your input. Don’t think the blame can’t later fall on you.

4.“The distance is too much."

If something matters to you, it shouldn’t matter how far away it is. I have family in Italy, best friends studying in Scotland and people I deeply care about all over the United States. We have the ability to use text, video conference, SnapChat, Facebook and so much more to communicate across so many borders, and sometimes all it takes is a nice “I miss you” every now and again to spark up a conversation. Keep meaningful people in your life–it doesn’t matter if you see them next in a few days or few months.

Change your attitude from “Why should I do this?” to “Why shouldn’t I?” Start acting on your word and consider how much more productive you could be. Think about the important people in your life and reach out to them once in a while. Don’t let yourself lose something special. If you want happiness and success, you can’t sit back and enjoy the show.