It's easy to feel like you're not making progress. For me personally, I have gone back and forth with career options and have been carrying stressors related to my life that I really don't know how to let go of quite yet. I see my friends and my peers getting internships, jobs, and participating in opportunities that I didn't even know existed. When will I get my time to shine?
Making progress looks different for everyone. For some people, it means figuring out a career path and finding where you belong. For others, it can look like trying something new or making a small decision. Every step along the way is progress, but it can take a lot for others to see.
Any progress is good progress. As a college student, I know that I have overheard people talking about their experiences, and they instantly minimize the experience. "It really isn't a big deal." "I guess it was cool." I know that I have done this myself. It's time to change this mindset and allow us to take pride in what we have accomplished.
It's up to us to interpret our progress. It can be exhausting, and it can be confusing. Life is a journey, and that journey can be difficult at times. We may not know our place or where we're supposed to be and being unsure can be scary. Right now in college, it's a confusing time. It's a time full of decisions that will impact my future for many years to come. There's pressure to know exactly who you want to become. When you don't exactly know who you are now, it's hard to think about who you want to become without an idea in mind.
The confusion surrounding my personal progress has made me question who I am and who I want to be. I have spoken about the immense amounts of stress to a counselor. After explaining that I felt like I was running a mile in the wrong direction in my life, my counselor asked me, "Is your goal to run a race? Or is it to exercise? Because if you're in a race, yeah that could be bad. However, if you're just exercising, that gets you closer to your goal."
It does not matter if the only thing that you've done today to make any progress towards your goals is get up this morning. You're up; you're alive. That's progress. When you wake up, you're able to do anything you set your mind to. With determination, and also a little patience, people can realize that something simple that we do every day counts towards progress.
Progress isn't always linear or continuously moving forward. There will be ups and downs, but that is what makes the experience unique to each individual person. Sometimes, there are steps taken backward, but then there are other great distances that are gone forward. Exercise for your progress. Reach towards the direction of your goals.
