As a college student, one often doesn’t have tons of time to do extra things, extra money to donate, or the willpower to give up something we might desperately need to help us get through our day (i.e. coffee). However, Lent is not only a season for sacrifice, but also for renewal. We don’t need to give up chocolate for 40 days to prove to ourselves that we can challenge ourselves during this time, but we can do small extra things each day to help others and ourselves, during this season. Here’s 40 ideas that any college student, religious or not, can partake in during this Lent (with some help from the notorious DJ Khaled):

1. Write one affirmation letter each day, to one of your close friends, roommates, family members, or even people you don’t know as well but just appreciate (like maybe the faculty at your university) to let them know they are appreciated and loved
2. Take the stairs instead of the elevator (good for both your booty and the environment)
3. Leave a positive note on a desk in one your classes, it might make someone’s day
4. Leave $0.75 taped to a vending machine and maybe help someone grab that power snack we all sometimes need
5. Go to a professor’s office hours who you don’t typically talk to, get to know them (maybe you’ll like each other and you could get someone you could ask for a killer letter of recommendation)
6. Stop hiding in your phone/computer and get out and TALK to people face to face
7. Read a book instead of binging on that hour of Netflix
8. Stop snacking in between meals (again good for you, but also brings attention to those who don’t have food so accessible to them)
9. Give up social media (whether it’s one form of it for the day, or all forms for the whole season, it’ll cause you to reflect on a LOT)
10. Think before you speak
11. Say “I love you” more
12. Volunteer to be the “mom” for your friend group for the night, if you’re typically the one who needs to be taken care of
13. Step out of your comfort zone this semester, volunteer somewhere you never otherwise would
14. Instead of sharing photos via Instagram, share via Johnson and Johnson’s “Donate a Photo App, which donates $1 to a cause you want to help for every photo you post each day
15. Give up your seat for someone on the bus even though your feet are killing you
16. Talk to that kid in your class who you chose to dislike for absolutely no reason (we all have that ONE person), there’s probably a reason you CAN like them I mean anyways, "hate is a waste of emotion" according to the main man, DJ)
    
17. Try to eliminate negative language from your vocab (I know it’s hard not to curse your professor out the night before a paper’s due but we can try)
18. Go #MakeupFree for a week
19. Go to the gym and bike/run using the app, Charity Miles, which will donate $0.10-$0.25 for every mile you bike/run to a nonprofit organization of your choice
20. Read the news (instead of watching what happened on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram) so you can be aware of what is going on in our world
21. Stop fighting with others on social media
22. Instead of procrastinating homework with Netflix, procrastinate AND learn AND donate rice through the World Food Programme to help end world hunger with Free Rice
23. Thank others more
24. Stop sub-tweeting
25. Try the Examen, even if you’re not religious, it’ll help you reflect on all your life problems it’s super helpful
26. Work on your temper
27. Make cookies for your neighbor
28. Try to recycle more
29. Make a cake for someone who’s been having a bad day
30. Pay attention in your 8 am class (I’m writing this article while in mine so this is definitely what I’m going to try to do during Lent)
31. Try to not turn on lights you don’t need
32. Smile more :)
33. When you start something, don’t give up on it so easily
34. Try to limit your spending
35. But if you do have the itch to shop, shop for clothes from Serengetee, which highlights fabrics from local artisans around the world AND donates 10% of their profits to several different causes
36. Laugh more
37. Go to mass or adoration or some sort of religious service (again, good time for reflection of all your life problems)
38. Take a picture of your food at certain restaurants via the free app Feedie and donate to The Lunchbox Fund, a nonprofit organization which provides lunches to schoolchildren in South Africa
39. Don’t idolize celebrities, look to people you personally know for inspiration
40. Go to class. You’re paying a lot of money to learn, and you might learn something that could help you change the world someday. Go forth and set the world on fire, you don’t know what greatness you’re capable of unless you learn.