We all know that college sucks.

S-U-C-K-S. Sucks.

But believe it or not, there's one thing that sucks worse than college—even school in general.

Woah, could that even be possible?

Yes.

The one thing that sucks worse than college is letting college own your life.

Actually, the worst thing you can do in life is allow something such as college or work to consume you without your consent. Let that sink in for a minute.

Personally, I'm embarrassed that I allowed school to dominate my life for as long as it did. To paint a picture of sorts, I've basically been trapped within the prison of education for the past 16 years.

That's not to say that I haven't enjoyed living, or that I regret my life choices at all. I'm proud of where I've been, but I am even more thrilled for where I am going and where I will end up. To say it in one sentence, I am no longer going to waste the life that God has blessed me with in favor of chasing grades or money.

I am much more aware of myself now. I no longer find my value through my grades or the money I earn.

Simply put, I've learned that you owe it to yourself to live.

Live this life to the fullest. Time is a blessing—we are all given the same 24 hours to live and breathe and smile and travel and eat and laugh.

Will you choose to waste those 24 hours in favor of pleasing the institution of college? Or will you choose to put the homework away, to pack up your laptop, to leave the dusty old library, and to actually live?

The world is begging you to explore it. Your friends are begging you to hang out with them. That coffee shop down the street is begging you to come on down and sip a cup of Joe. You dream career is begging you to pursue it.

So, what are you waiting for?

Don't leave your dreams untouched. Don't leave the earth unexplored. Don't regret any moment spent on this beautiful planet.

20 years from now, you won't regret the adventures you had in your college town when the weather started to warm up. You won't regret the study breaks that allowed you to truly be yourself and focus on self-care instead of on that biology final. You won't regret the weekend trips you took with your best friends instead of studying from Friday night until Sunday night.

But you might regret spending an entire Saturday cramming for a midterm exam. You might wish that you had practiced a little more self-care.

You might wish that you had become a better person rather than a better student.

From now on, I challenge you to take that extra step to make yourself happy. At the end of the day, you owe it to yourself to do at least one thing that makes your heart smile. What are you waiting for?