To the girl reading this,

You are probably exhausted. I do not mean you got 6 hours of sleep last night instead of 8, but I mean you are past worn out. You do not possess any amount of "free" time. Your planner is jammed full of assignments, activities, and even your laundry is scheduled. I mean wow, you have no time for frivolous activities. You are probably just taking a break from studying or doing the dishes, but somehow you came across this article, and I am so thankful you did.

You see, I am every bit like you. I am a full-time college student trying not only to survive but also thrive. I do not want to just go to school or work, but I yearn to be successful in every aspect of my life, and something tells me that you do too.

We are not like everyone else our age. We seem to be just a bit different. Our drive for life is what makes us this way.

We view the days as truly blank canvases that are meant to be filled to make the next canvas just a bit better than the one before it. We believe in getting up before the sun, but also going to bed right before it comes back up again. We see grocery shopping as a treat to get out and be a member of civilization. We like doing laundry because it runs on a time schedule. We enjoy doing press-on nails because we do not have 10 minutes to wait and let polish fully dry. We take every second of every day very seriously and utilize it to its fullest.

I want to warn you though because I have learned a few things. The most important thing I can tell you is that this is all worth it. The long nights are so worth it. The amount of coffee is so worth it. The calls home are worth it. The tears are worth it. This will all be worth it.

You are going to make something of yourself. These rough days will make you a better person in the long run. You have just begun this crazy journey of life that is a challenge that you fall more in love with every single day.

To the girl like me, I hope you know that I have complete confidence in you because I refuse to give up.