We live in a society obsessed with instantaneous results, progress, and development. We have been taught to become dedicated to our work, to never settle for anything less than the best, and to reach our full potentials overnight.

But we have become so focused on the end goal that we forget that things take time. Life takes time.

We romanticize the concept of instant success and fame while forgetting how difficult that is. Success is not won in a year. In fact, there is no timeline to when success is truly reached. Some people reach it in childhood, others reach it when they're in their fifties, and some even reach it when they're older.

The point is that success is not a neatly paved street. There are going to be bumps and holes and dead ends that force you to circle back around. You'll have to take other routes and back alleys to make it to your destination. And when that destination seems so far away, it is okay to take it easy.

We need to stop telling ourselves that we want immediate results. Taking small steps should be the key.

Maybe one day you get eight hours of sleep, and maybe the next you get a headstart on an assignment. Maybe you give yourself a personal day to unwind and clear out all the unnecessary junk—literally and figuratively. Maybe you'll get the job you want straight out of college, but maybe you'll have to do an internship first or find another job in order to start paying off your student loans.

As much as we'd love to reach that picture-perfect endgame right off the bat, that is difficult, and frankly, unlikely. If you push yourself little by little, marking off the challenges that test you but make your character, that final point of success will feel so much more satisfying. You had everything thrown at you, but you still made it.

Embrace the little challenges, and learn from them. No one is asking you to cure cancer or create the next hit blockbuster series yet. You don't need to dig through mountains. You need to climb them.