I can’t help but notice as a senior in college, how many people my age are worrying about their futures. Yes, the “real world” does exist after college ends. Yes, you should have an idea of what is next; however, the “real world” is the next part of your life, so stop worrying and start living.

I always have been one to prepare, plan, stress out when things don’t go exactly right, and always make the responsible choice. If college has taught me one valuable thing, it is to just let life happen. Stressing out does nothing for your happiness. The best memories and the best lessons come from the mistakes you make and the times you just decide to stop fighting life and just go with it.

So as you spend your first, second, third, or like me, you are on your fourth and final year of college, remember one thing: your future is your future. The present is now, and you’ll never be at this point in your life ever again. This is the oldest you have ever been and the youngest you will ever be. Enjoy it for what it is. Focus on school, pursue your passions, be wild, make mistakes, eat too much food, go on blind dates, dance all night until the sun comes up, sleep all day, apply to that job you think you’ll never get, fall in love more than once, meet new people, try new things, travel as often as you can, blow all your money on something you really want to do, and don’t regret one single second.

As amazing as settling down in one place, meeting the love of my life, and having a family sounds, being selfish sounds better. There are only a couple years of your life that you have just you, the time to fail on your own, succeed on your own, and do what you want to do while worrying about one person, yourself. When you're busy focusing on you, that is when you’ll fall in love with who you are. You’ll figure out what you like, what you don’t, what motivates you, what you want to do with your life, and when your future comes...you’ll know exactly what you’ll want to do with it.