Working towards a long-term goal can be both exhausting and ultimately rewarding. Unlike the instant gratification one receives from a very short-term goal, achieving a long-term goal can be so time-consuming that it’s easy to lose track of why you are working towards it. It’s taken me months to realize, however, that the pay-off from achieving what you have worked so long to get is so much more satisfactory and enduring than what you get from a short-term goal. It can make you feel more mature and accomplished.

Building a career and finding a lifelong passion sometimes takes years, yet is what most strive to obtain. What we all want is to fulfill a purpose. Whether the path chosen to discover that passion is conventional or not doesn't matter nearly as much as the strength of continence and focus one has on a goal, and pales in comparison to the joy of having built a strong foundation for individual long-term goals. It's a beautiful and powerful experience to finally recognize what you want to work on and do, or find a group of people with whom you mesh and share interests. When your personality clicks with a career path, it's like a light turns on and illuminates a purpose.

While I thought for years I'd found this purpose, other callings still appealed to me, and I got lost and confused. I no longer had the assurance and support I felt when I thought I had a straight path to walk. In high school, I had different interests that I thought would be lucrative and choosing between different opportunities made me anxious because of the risk of choosing a path. I could end up being disappointed with it or feel unnatural and unsatisfied with my chosen field later in life when I'd think it's too late to rediscover a purpose.

Now I have a path again, but the road isn’t nearly as obvious or cut-and-dry, so it can be testing to hike it. Staying focused on this path, that isn’t quite so appealing, hasn't been easy, but knowing that possible success could be worth it gives me hope. I encourage others to stay focused on a healthy, long-term goal, even if it means making a few provisional, short-term sacrifices. I always tell myself these sacrifices recompense the insurance we can achieve by staying on a path to a long-term goal. College is a good example. Although it’s very expensive, the experiences and degree pay for themselves (Metaphorically, sort of?)

later on. If you work towards something for long enough, then it's sure to eventually work out, and this certitude gives me the energy to aspire and grow.