When my first year of college quickly came to a conclusion, I was so adamant to start my summer “glow up." In my head, glowing up meant getting my nails done, getting a tan, getting my hair done, getting new clothes. In light of the summer being half over, I’ve come to a realization. Those things won’t really improve me or my quality of life. Yes looking good will boost my self esteem for a short period of time, but it won’t last. I realized that when I go back to school I want to show up:

1. Smarter

The saying is “you learn something new everyday,” but why limit yourself to one piece of knowledge when there is a world full of the unknown? Expose yourself to anything and everything. Any source of information, whether it be a book, an article, a blog post, a documentary or a video. It’s better than nothing.

2. Healthier (physically and mentally)

Being healthier will make any goals easier to achieve. This includes developing better sleeping patterns and better eating habits. A little bit of cardio will also keep your heart rate up and release serotonin (the neurotransmitter related to happiness). How you treat your body will have a huge role in how your mind functions too.

3. More Confident

This would be the result of the two previous points mixed in with many smaller components. How you perceive yourself is the most important opinion. When you spend more time building yourself up from the ground, you will notice the how you value yourself will increase. You won’t always feel the greatest, but knowing that the efforts you’ve made have given results will be the most rewarding.

All of these will stem the growth of the most important thing in one's life: happiness. For the rest of the summer, make sure to take a little time to better you as a person.