Focus.

I don't know why it is that you care to get an education, no, to put yourself through getting an education. Why is it that you challenge yourself, and motivate yourself to stay awake through lectures, homework, and more homework?

 Really, my mom could be making me caldo de pollo right now.

It's so easy to get into this mentality sometimes. There are, however, motivating factors that give reasons for the endless toil. Maybe your goal is to get a degree so you can earn a lot of bucks when you get older. Maybe your parents are always on your case about grades and you  just know that you're going to go to college at the very least to please them. But are these reasons enough?

Unfortunately, people often get into the habit of thinking about work and college in a negative light, especially when things get competitive and stressful, and I'm not the exception. Thoughts like, "well, I know I could do better if I wanted to, but I don't have to, so I won't" or "oh my GOD this is so hard, I could be doing something much easier" are very easy to think when you're very stressed.

  However, it is this way of thinking, I believe, makes students unmotivated and unexcited about college. The mentality of "no one is going to support me, why should I even plan on going to college," or "my parents are never going to want to pay for my education" are thoughts that also often demotivate students.

If you have any one of those mentalities right now, stop.

Really, stop reading, and take a nice, deep breath because you're probably stressed or scared or confused on what you want to do.

I don't know your story. I don't know what you've had to go through during your lifetime, or what kind of problems or struggles you've encountered or are going through at the present moment.

But in the end, I think the message I'm trying to relay can apply to pretty much anyone.
Let me tell you a little something about the world in which you live:
                       
It is plainly and simply (and wonderfully!) your classroom.

The world is your classroom. That's right. No matter how much you hate school right now, or no matter how much you are struggling, how much work you have to do, you will never stop learning. (muahaha)

Put that into focus, and you should be confident that you'll make it through. You don't have to be perfect. You just have to give it what you've got. You don't have to show anyone anything. You just have to learn to be curious and appreciate the fact that there are things to understand, and they're waiting to be understood by none other than yourself.

You're reading this online, right? This means you have the whole of the internet at your disposal. You know what that means? No, not an infinite amount of funny youtube videos to keep you awake at all hours of the night. (Only sometimes.) This means, my friends, that you have a TON of people (like myself, and anyone involved with Latinos in College, and a plethora of other organizations) that can help you get through giving yourself an education.

Find something you are just as passionate about as you are of this, and run with it. The world needs you as much as it needs everyone else. Become inspired. You only live once after all. It's not an easy life, but people will help if you ask for it, and like I said, there are so many out there that will if you ask, but in the end, it's all up to you.

Just focus. It's scary, I know, but it'll get you through if what you really want is to go to and get through college to learn and develop yourself as a person. Trust me, you can get through the college apps and stressful nightmares of your future.

Focusing will get you through anything.