Our culture is incredibly fascinated with what is "happening next," how we can speed up the growth process, how we can achieve our next big goal or complete our next task in the quickest fashion. We think that the more we do and the more we accomplish, the more worth we have as individuals. With this mentality, we spend our lives waiting to achieve something, waiting for something better to happen, waiting to find that special person to spend our lives with, and waiting to be happy. I’m so guilty of this.

Here are a few things we all say on a regular basis that we could change in an effort to appreciate the "now" instead of what we are waiting for.

“Someday it will be worth it.”

Almost every college students says this at least once (a week). But it’s worth it now. It's true, all of those long nights spent writing papers and studying will (hopefully) pay off with a degree one day, but you are learning and growing as a human being now. Don’t waste time waiting for that piece of paper for this time in your life to be worth something. Every day you wake up and get to study under incredibly established professors, interact with talented and smart students and peers, and walk around this beautiful campus. That is a day that was worth something. And it's a day you won't get back.

“One day I'll be happy.”

Okay, so we don't always say this out loud but we've all thought it before. I think it’s an intrinsic human flaw that we always find new things and new goals that we think will make us happy. For me personally, I always envision myself with my degree,a husband, and kids as my idea of what happiness is. I don’t think there is anything wrong with wanting this one day and even striving for it, but I often let that vision be my ultimate checklist on the way to happiness and I don’t appreciate the moments now that make me happy. I go to one of the best universities in the country, study under brilliant people everyday, have a job that I’m good at, and get to do life with some of my favorite people in the world. And yet, I still have the mentality that I need to wait for something else to really achieve “happiness.” I don’t want to do that anymore; I want to appreciate the people in my life now and the little moments of happiness in each day.

"This class is pointless -- it has nothing to do with what I want to do."

We've all taken that one class that we needed for our major but had nothing to do with our future career goals (I'm looking at you, computer science). If you're anything like me, it kicked your butt and you hated everything about it. But this was also a great lesson for me and a semester of personal growth. Enter the idea of the growth mindset. You may think this is counterproductive to my last point about how we should be happy with how things are in the present, but hear me out for a second.

I want to be happy with where I’m at in my life right now, but also happy in the little things that help me grow each day. I don’t want to be afraid to be a better version of myself, or wait until I’ve accomplished this long goal to be happy either, I want to appreciate each step I take towards a better, stronger, healthier, (hopefully) wiser version of myself. I’m thankful to go to a university that teaches me and forces me to grow in so many different areas every day; it kicks my butt but I enjoy it. Growth mindset.

"I can't wait."

So this is the one I'm probably the most guilty of. When I was little, I couldn't wait to be older. When I was in high school, I couldn't wait for college. Now, that I'm in college, the idea of being in the real world terrifies the crap out of me. I've spent my life, not wanting to wait to grow up, not wanting to wait for the next thing, so aware of what was happening next that I missed everything that was happening right in front of me. I don't want to be like that anymore. Truth is, I can wait. I can wait to graduate, I can wait to have my first "big girl" job, I can wait to start a family. And I can do all of this waiting with happiness and joy in my heart.

I won't wait to be happy, to achieve something, for something better to happen, or to find my soulmate anymore. I will enjoy this time I'm in right now, exactly how it is, and appreciate the person I'm being molded into.

I will enjoy this time in my life right now, I will not wait to enjoy my life just as it is, I will fail at growth mindset every day but I will still try to grow to be better, regardless of my flaws. I will appreciate this time because I only get one shot at this. I won't wait to be happy, successful, or worthy anymore because I already am all of those things.