For me and for many college students, our biggest focus is our future; our biggest asset and defect is time. While we hope to live many more years on this Earth, it’s essential to understand that our future is still ahead of us, but we must remember to live in the moment and work towards our future every day.

Many of us worry about whether or not we are going to get a good job and make a decent living. Some also worry about whether or not they will be able to find a spouse and have a family. It’s easy to dream about the job you want to have, where you want to live, and what you want your family to look like, but it’s much more important to focus on how we can achieve our dreams and visions. While there is no straight course that we can follow to get where we want, there are most certainly steps that can be taken to get closer to achieving these goals.

I think the general worry I have about my future is just the fear of the unknown. I normally try to stay optimistic about things, but it’s much easier to doubt yourself and your own ambitions at time. I try to balance my doubt out with my optimism to keep myself from becoming content with what I have and slowing down. That fear of the unknown also makes me want to work even harder so I can be in control of my own destiny.

So what does the future hold? There really is no way to tell, unfortunately. I’ve learned from many that no matter how hard you try, your life will never be a path straightforward. There will be a lot of things now and in your future that you will excel in and there will be plenty of things that you will struggle with. We aren’t given a set of instructions for how to navigate life; we must instead draw up our own map and find our own way towards the success we want to have.

While it is impossible to tell what our exact futures will look like, there are many steps that can be taken to push towards the dreams and visions you have in your head. Obviously doing well in school, hard work, and building relationships both business and personal will always help. It’s best to just take one step at a time and one day at a time.

Progress will always define your short and long-term success. Making progress on a daily basis will help push you closer to the future you wish to possess.