It is human tendency to focus on the future, and dream about what is to come. I, for one, have my whole future mapped out in my mind. I know where I want to be years from now, as it relates to everything from medical school to my future family. However, I cannot tell you where I want to be next month, or even next week. It is easy to dream about what you want in the future, when it’s just that- the future. Taking actual, immediate, steps to get there is much more difficult.

College is when your future solidifies, as you begin to take academic steps towards your set goals. Classes are chosen; semesters are planned out. You set goals and all you have left to do is work for it. Don’t get me wrong, school is immensely important. Without a degree and doing well in all of my classes, I will not ever get where I want to be in life. Despite that, problems arise when you put your sole focus on school. Before you know it, you will be looking back on the “should have” and “could have” moments that are also key parts in living out your future.

Just as college is the time to learn everything you can, and soak up as much knowledge as possible, it is also a time to grow as an individual. Making memories and obtaining the most out of life is equally as important as earning the degree that will lead you to the career you wish and worked so hard for. Dreaming about adventures and spectacular times with loved ones, and the moments where you will find yourself need to be more than just thoughts pushed aside. Taking the time to look at the immediate future is just as beneficial as setting and achieving those long term goals you have fantasized about for so long.

There are two parts to future success- your achievements and your satisfaction about how far you have come. Having the “perfect” career is nothing without a lifetime of memories and happiness to look back on. Your feelings about your success tell just as much as the plaque your degree is mounted on does. Instead of planning out your future and how you will be financially stable years down the road, take the time to plan out adventures you want to seek out before you enter the overwhelming “real” world.

Don’t get so caught up in your dream of success years down the road that you let moments pass that could be the best of your life. Take the immediate steps to your happiness. Go on the road trip you’ve planned out in your mind a million times, visit an old friend, seek out local spots you have never been to before. Your happiness and success now directly correlates to fulfilling and being satisfied with your life when you do reach that point of textbook success in your career and long term goals. Stop waiting for the future, start now.