Happy summer, scholars! Congrats and cheers to another school year completed!

Summer is a time for catching up with friends at home and working to make enough money to have as much fun next semester as we did this past semester. But, I just have a few requests for how you spend this summer.

Really love yourself instead of loving how others perceive you.
It's easy to alter how people think of you through your Instagram pictures and Snapchat Story, but your attempts to aggrandize yourself for the sake of how others interpret you are not helping you. Instead, spend more time on becoming and loving who you are and want to be than on convincing others that you are something else.

Take a personality quiz.
Maybe you took one in high school, but everyone is continually evolving and growing, especially during college. Maybe you were hard on yourself this past semester and need to be reminded of your positive qualities that you can continue to develop and focus on. Maybe things that were once your weak spots are now your strong suits and vice versa. It's a glimpse of what you are doing well and what you have room to focus on.

Find something new to do that you've never done.
Look up an outdoor concert that features local musicians or go to a new park with some of your friends to work out or hike. Life is full of adventures, both big and small—you just have to create them.

Be grateful.
This one applies all the time, but gratitude goes a long way. A simple "thank you" could be the difference between someone having a good day or a bad day. Tip: When thanking someone, be specific about what you're thanking them for. This will make them feel more appreciated and more likely to do what you're thanking them for in the future. Buy some new thank you cards to inspire yourself to be more grateful!

Make an effort to listen.
It's easy to get caught up in sharing all of your wild stories from this year, but remember to listen when someone else has something to say. Put your phone down while you're talking to people, and give your friends your full attention.

Forget about FOMO.
Instead of thinking about what you are missing out on, realize instead that others are missing out on what you are doing in any given moment. If you make the most of whatever you are doing, your experience could turn out to be one of your favorite memories.

Focus on the compliments you are given rather than the criticisms.
We often place more weight on the one cruel thing someone says to us or about us (someone who, typically isn't someone whose opinion we should care about anyway) than the handful of compliments from others whose opinions we heavily respect.

Give more compliments.
I tend to be liberal in complimenting others, but once you train yourself to look for good things the people around you are doing, it's easy to be optimistic and excited.