Karen Waldrup Doing the ‘Most’ to Get to ‘The Voice’ Finale (Exclusive)

• Karen Waldrup is in The Voice finale, airing on Tuesday
• The country singer says it took extreme “focus” to get to the finale
• She plans to celebrate by having dinner in Manhattan beach

Karen Waldrup is a force to be reckoned with.

Speaking to PEOPLE on May 20, the Team Dan + Shay contestant reflected on her experience on The Voice — and revealed why she thinks not just anyone is cut out for the singing competition show.

“I would not recommend anyone going through The Voice if they don’t have what it takes to put 100% of their time, energy, effort and passion into it. Don’t do it,” Waldrup tells PEOPLE exclusively.

“If you’re not willing to follow the rules, if you’re not willing to be pleasant to be around, if you’re not willing to practice a lot, do your vocal lessons, eat healthy, don’t do it because you’re not going to make it. So you might as well stay home and wait tables,” she continues.

For Waldrup, who performed “What Hurts the Most” and “I’m Alright” on Monday night, getting this far in the competition was all about keeping laser focus on her goals

“The first thing you have to ask yourself is, are you willing to make this a No. 1 priority? If you’re not, then don’t do it because that’s the only way you’re going to get into The Voice,” she says. “The only way you’re going to make it to the lives is if you really, really, really truly 100% focus. There is power to focusing.”

Looking back on the season, there’s not much she would’ve done different and she’s proud of how she’s carried herself through it. Her secret? Doing “the most.”

“I can’t say I was really the best singer. I can’t really say I was the prettiest girl. I was just the one that was the most focused and the one that didn’t get distracted, and the one that practiced the most and the one that went to the gym the most, and the one that drank a lot of water the most.”

“If you had met some of the people that were on the cast of The Voice, you would not believe the vocals. But some of those people got distracted. They were going to movie theater, they were going to the bar, they were going to the beach,” she explains.

After experiencing the uncertainty that COVID-19 brought to her life and career, Waldrup jumped at the opportunity and was “not willing to let it get stolen.”

She adds, “I was willing to do anything it took.”

When all is said and done, win or lose, Waldrup wants to kick her shoes off — literally — and relish in the moment after Tuesday night’s finale.

“I have a dream, and it’s to have a place on the beach in Manhattan Beach in my lifetime. So we’re going to Manhattan Beach, we’re going to go out to a nice dinner, we’re going to get a bottle of champagne, we’re going to watch the sunset and we’re going to celebrate,” she says.

“I’ve been focused so hard. I’m going to order what I want. I’m going to eat what I want. I’m going to have fun,” she concludes. “I’m going to kick my shoes off under the table and not care what anybody thinks of me. I’m just going to really enjoy and soak up my favorite thing in the world, which is the ocean.”

The Voice finale airs Tuesday night at 8 p.m. EST on NBC.