With summer quickly approaching, it is quite easy to fall in the trap of perpetual laziness and idle daily routine. God knows I am guilty of having my lazy summers. Of course, summer days when you decide to not go out and stay inside to watch Netflix or spend all day on your phone are welcomed. However, it is super important to not waste your precious summer days away.

The months of June, July, and August are the three quickest months of the year. I try my best to cherish every single day of the summer months because before you know it, they are gone. As I'm growing older, summers are going by even faster. It has allowed me to realize how much I wish to make every day count. To do something productive — no matter how big or small — each day is essential.

With having no school and no homework or projects, it is very easy to lose motivation to do, well, quite frankly, anything. As I said, I have had my fair share of lazy days. They are okay to have here and there, but I have also learned it is all too easy to fall victim to this vicious cycle of an unproductive routine. Once you have had one lazy day, it progresses into two lazy days, then five lazy days, and so on. DO NOT LET THIS BECOME YOUR SUMMER. Take control of your summer and make the most of it because (sadly) it does not last forever.

If you are anything like me, you have always held a dream of what your summer should be. My summer fantasy consists of living at the beach, working at an ice cream shop, visiting the beach every single day, being tan, and having a summer fling. Unfortunately, this fantasy summer has never become reality. Maybe it will someday, but not this year at least. It's vital to keep yourself grounded as well. I've learned that this might never become reality, and that's okay. Maybe some aspects of it may come true, but just because your summer does not consist of all of your fantasies, does not mean it is a waste.

I believed in this notion for a long time: that because I wasn't at the beach every day, because I wasn't tan, because I didn't have a "bikini body," because I wasn't traveling somewhere every day, that my summer was invaluable. That I wasted three months doing nothing important. But this wasn't truly the case. I just believed that since I wasn't doing something considered "fun" every day, that I wasted three whole months of my life. What I now realize is that I just wasn't making the most of the situations I was given. One of the most painful realizations of growing up is that you are not going to be able to do something fun all the time. This lesson was much to my dismay. When you're little, summer consists of no school and doing something fun every day. There's no work... and then you get older.

In addition to working A LOT this summer, I'm planning to also go to the gym, write an article for Odyssey every week, read plenty of books, lose weight, and attempt to grow my hair out. These are all practical goals, and it is important to set goals and not lose sight of them. It's summer and we don't want to even think about setting goals, but we must always be striving to better ourselves. This notion applies even during our days, weeks, or months off.

A few years ago, just reading that list of goals would've made me say, "no." I want my summer to be my summer. I don't want to have to work all the time, I want to hang out with my friends, go to the beach, go to the park and everything else in between. I don't want to be expected anywhere. However, I've grown up in the past few years and realized that I have to work, whether I like it or not, and just because I'm working does not mean I won't have time for my friends and doing other fun things. And if I work a lot, the more money I will have, and the more things I will be able to do.

I mean yeah, it's disappointing, I guess. Everyone wants to be able to do whatever they want with their summer, but that's just life. This allows us to appreciate fun times with friends and family more. So, set your goals. You'll feel great once you achieve them, and don't forget to have fun in between those goals.

Always strive for balance! Have a great summer, everyone :)