Today is Ash Wednesday, a sacred day for many religious people, which begins the 40-day period known as Lent.

These 40 days are typically associated with Christians sacrificing a part of their daily lives leading up to Easter as a way of symbolically thanking God for his forgiveness.

The things which people choose to give up tend to vary, as do their motivations. “I decided to give up fast food for Lent because it will help me to get in better shape for the summer,” said freshman kinesiology major Bryan Cassidy.

Last year, like Bryan, I gave up fast food; this year I am giving up Facebook. For you fellow Facebook addicts, I hope this is some inspiration, no matter how difficult it may seem.

I am choosing to do this because I want to give up something that has become a significant part of my life. In fact, many of those who know me think it may be impossible.

When I asked my friends about what they thought of my chances, many of them expressed their doubts, claiming that Facebook has become such an integral part of my life that I sometimes log in without even realizing it.

Despite their skepticism, I have faith in myself that I can avoid going on Facebook. Although going on the social networking site started as a harmless habit, it has slowly transformed into a sort of addiction. I go on my Facebook account more than three times a day, so giving it up is not just a sacrifice, but probably a good idea in general.

To make sure I do not cheat, I am deleting the Facebook application on my cell phone and I am allowing someone to change my password so I cannot access it at all.

Giving up Facebook is going to be a struggle because it allows me to communicate with people, especially my friends that do not go to NIU. Spring break is right around the corner and all of my friends will all be in different places, so it is going to make it significantly harder to keep in touch.

I believe this sacrifice, however, will ultimately have a positive effect. I will get more work done because I do not have Facebook to distract me. I also think I will get better with time management and procrastination in general.

Even if you are not religious, I think making a sacrifice like this in your daily life allows you to focus on what is really important and will greatly benefit you in the long run.

Try giving something up; you might actually gain something in the process.