It’s a new school year and everything is different than it was this time last year. You’re a year older, a grade higher, and one step closer to moving into the world of mortgages and 8 a.m. traffic. In the past year, you have probably faced heartache and experienced joy, had to stand eye-to-eye with trials that have stretched and grown you, and even make some hard choices that have led you to the place you are today.

A collection of circumstances and decisions have brought you to where you are right now, at this very moment. You are not where you are by accident. In fact, there is a purpose for you at the specific school you are attending, the job you are working, and the family that you are a part of.

In this time of your life, be careful not to rush through in order to get to the “real world” any quicker. Who says the life that you are living now doesn’t count as the real world? Our everyday interactions with those around us are part of the experiences that shape and mold us into who we are. Without these, we would not be the people that we are today.

Our generation seems to get too caught up in romanticizing the future. While it is helpful to somewhat plan for what’s to come, if we are living in the future rather than the present, we will end up wishing our lives away.

You are not in the situations that you are in now for no reason. There is a plan and purpose for all that you are a part of and you should not take that for granted. Rather than working tirelessly to move on to bigger and better things, take some time to slow down, enjoy where you are, and appreciate this moment, because it will be gone too soon.

Instead of rushing through lunch to make it back to your dorm in time to take a nap before your next class, linger around the dining hall or cafeteria and strike up a conversation with someone you normally wouldn’t speak to. Rather than walking to class with your earbuds in and eyes down, look around you. Smile at the group of sorority girls walking past. Say hello to the football players; they need someone to be kind to them every once in a while rather than just trying to take sneaky Snapchat pictures of them. Be gracious, even to the guy who bumped your shoulder in an effort to beat you to your favorite seat in class. The person on your hall who never leaves their room? Knock on their door and invite them somewhere with you and your friends.

Each of these things are important, yet they don’t come naturally to most of us. They involve stepping out of our comfort zones and allowing ourselves to be vulnerable in order that we might extend kindness to someone else. They demand us to slow down, look around, and find ways to be selfless. They go against the grain of what culture tells us to do: worry about yourself and forget everyone else. Yet, they are worth every ounce of time and effort that they require.

So rather than rushing through life, wandering around from major to major, job to job, and friend to friend, take some time to slow down and appreciate what’s in front of you. Instead of always looking out for just yourself, make it a priority to look to the interest of others. Other opportunities are sure to come your way, but until they do, live the life you have now and live it to the fullest.

If you are constantly looking to the future, you will look back years down the road and realize that you missed out on some of the greatest moments of your life. You are where you are now for a purpose, believe that.