I came to college because I wanted to pursue something that I’m truly and wildly passionate about: creative writing. But that doesn’t mean that it’s always been easy, and I have a feeling pursuing passion isn’t easy for anyone.

I’m a sophomore, and so far my college experience has been a wonderful, stressful and emotional ride. The only thing that I think I would change if I could do my first two years all over again is to stop wishing for the weekend.

We all do it. We are all culprits. It’s a Monday morning and you’ve got a paper due and a test you forgot to study for and you’re already planning out your day so you can see where you have time to fit in a quick (but totally worth it) 20 minute nap. I do it too. I’m guilty of crawling into bed at 8 p.m. and thinking, “F*ck it, I’ll just wake up early tomorrow and study for that psychology exam” and then oversleep the next morning. And sometimes I’m sitting in the library and instead of doing that super long reading for that super boring class, I’m thinking about all the fun I’m going to have on Friday night if I could just get to the weekend. College is hard. Chasing your dreams is hard. And no matter what anyone says, I don’t believe that the things you want — and I mean really want — just fall in your lap. I think dreams come true because of: five cups of coffee in one day, pulling all nighters (back to back), taking quick naps on library couches in the middle of the afternoon and going after things that you want so fiercely and so relentlessly that you don’t take no for an answer.

As I look back on the past two years of my college experience, I find myself kicking myself for not fully, honestly and passionately pursuing whatever it is that I love to do and not taking advantage of the things in my life that challenge me. And I know that we’re all bogged down by obligations, but it is so important — so vital — that we find that thing that we love and hold onto it. It is equally as important to try to be the best we can be even when we’re faced with challenge and hardship. It is so much easier to give in and accept defeat than to press on and get better at the things that force us to learn hard lessons and grow as individuals. I can’t imagine looking back on my life and realizing that I didn’t take every chance that I possibly could, even if those chances were extraordinarily difficult. And not just take those chances, but reach out and grab them like my life depended on it, because recently I’ve found myself taking things for granted, and I’m not entirely sure how that happened.

I think I started taking things for granted somewhere between "taking that core class requirement that kicked my a**" and "settling for something less than I deserved." Lately, it has been so easy to lose myself in a pile of things that don’t matter and don’t make me happy, but those things matter to other people. Like that A that I got on a paper doesn’t make me nearly as happy as writing a poem that makes someone say, “That gave me goosebumps when I read it.” Like my GPA doesn’t make me as happy as falling madly and deeply in love with a good book. And I’m not saying that everyone needs to drop out of school, kick off their shoes, go sit under a tree and write some good poetry. I’m saying that’s my dream, and you probably have one too.

You’ve got to find that perfect balance of being humble in the face of something that challenges you but, at the same time, also making sure that you’re chasing what you love like your life depends on it. It has been a harsh and harrowing reality for me to come to terms with the fact that I have been taking my education, my privilege and my passion for granted. I am privileged to be attending a prestigious university, and sometimes I take that for granted. I am lucky to be able to pursue my dreams, and I am as equally lucky that I have friends and family that support me. Things won’t always be the way that they are today, and it’s truly amazing how things can just get away from you, slip through your fingertips like they weren’t even there to begin with. I want to grab hold of my happiness while it’s still within reach.

What I’m saying is stop waiting for the weekend, stop making excuses for not making time for what matters and what feeds that fire inside of you. Stop complaining about not having time in the day to do what you love, and make time for what makes you happy. Whatever you do, do it with purpose, passion and love or don’t do it at all.