I hate math and have zero knowledge of economics (praise the Lord, I’ve managed to get through college so far without having to take either), but I think that life is full of investments. As human beings we have limited resources, so we have to constantly be thinking about how we want to spend our time, thought, effort and energy in order to get the best results. These expenditures are investments of sorts, and since every person is different, it should come as no surprise that every person’s investments are different as well.

We invest in goals (if I want to run a marathon, I need to invest the time to train, the energy to physically push myself, and the will power to do this every day), and we invest in other people (if I want to have relationships with friends and family, I need to invest the time to see them and the thought to care for, understand, and support them). You get the picture. We invest in a lot of things.

But we also need to invest in our own happiness and ourselves. I think the easiest way to think about this is to realize that you need to put as much, if not more, of this time and energy you are spending on other people and other things into yourself, too. It isn’t just taking some quality "me" time (although that is strongly encouraged. "Me" time rocks). Investing in yourself is investing your resources into things that you love or that make you happy. I feel like these days everyone is so focused on getting ahead, finding success, how they look to other people, or what one of the Kardashians wore yesterday. Stop putting effort into what you think you are supposed to put effort into and use it for what you actually care about.

Instead of going to the best-ranked school so people think I’m smart, why don’t I go to the school that best fits me and will allow me to do well? Instead of picking the major that will get me the best job and make the most money, why don’t I pick one that I’m actually passionate about and interested in? Instead of going to that party so I look like I’m fun in pictures, why don’t I stay home to get take out and read or have a "Harry Potter" marathon because that is actually fun (I’m a huge geek, get over it)?

It’s one of the hardest things in the world, especially as a college kid, to not care what other people think. But you should never care what others think if it is about something you love or something that makes you happy. There is no shame or weirdness in doing things that make you happy (l8ter h8ters). So put the time, thought, effort and energy into yourself and embrace it, because figuring out who you are and what brings you joy will make you a better person.