Do your future self a favor, stop slacking off

College is hard. You are going to school, working, playing sports, doing an internship, trying to stay fit, building relationships with new friends, maintaining relationships with old friends and family, and so much more. You are stressed out, running low on sleep, and may not be eating as healthy as you should. I have no doubt that you are run down and experiencing many of these things. Believe me, I understand and so do others around you, but none of these are an excuse for you to slack off.
Your schoolwork doesn’t just affect you, but also your peers, professors, families, and your future self. Slacking off essentially has a domino effect, the things you do impact people around you. Whether you realize it or not, you are being watched. That sounds creepy, but give me a chance to explain.
Your peers watch your actions every day, and you watch theirs too. If you decide to skip your homework, you may influence your friends to do the same. Your motives most likely aren’t going to negatively impact your friends’ grades, but it will happen. And once you influence them, they will influence their friends, and they will influence theirs, and it will continue on down the line. Remember, slacking off has a domino effect, don’t be the first to fall.
College is here to help us sharpen and add to our skillsets so we can get a job and start adulting. To get a job, you need references, and what better references are there other than your professors? They watch and they evaluate your character, your work ethic, and your dedication to your education. If you skip class, half-ass your projects, or completely miss your assignments, why would your professors write you letters of recommendation or endorse you to future employers? They wouldn’t. Every day when you wake up, you have the opportunity to build a reputation as well as improve your work ethic, skills, and relationships.
Some of you are thousands of miles away from your families and some of you are three blocks from yours, but no matter the distance, they are watching. Your parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, older siblings, and family friends have high expectations for you. They want to brag about your accomplishments to their friends at coffee. They want to see you succeed in life. Your younger siblings, cousins, and other kids you know look up to you. To them, you make college cool, you make homework cool, and you make being responsible cool. You have an impact on their futures and if you slack off, the dominos will fall, and those kids will slack off too.
Stop complaining and slacking off. Decide that today is the day to make a change in your life. Build your work ethic now. Dedicate yourself to your schoolwork now. Become a positive role model now. Motivate your peers now. Your future self will thank you later.