Success. It is a word that means wildly different things depending on who you ask. For some, success is a mountain of cash. Others view it as being able to simply live comfortably and enjoy family time.
As the school year ends and you all head off in different directions, let me offer you a little more advice. Because obviously, it’s something you don’t get a lot of this time of year.
Success is relative. What is a seven figure salary going to mean when you spend 70 hours a week behind a desk and have no time to enjoy your life?
On the other hand, how are you going to spend quality time with your family if your primary concern is working two jobs just to support them?
The key is finding a balance that you can live with.
What sacrifices are you willing to make in order to meet your goals?
If you don’t start planning for your future now, I assure you, you will regret it in 10 years.
You don’t need to know exactly what you want out of life at 20. You just need to know the general direction you’re going to take.
We all have relatives that are ‘workaholics,’ take some time at your next family gathering and have a chat about life. Ask them what they would do differently if they had the chance.
Most of us know people who have already started their family. There is nothing wrong with that, but take some time to talk to a nontraditional student who has and ask them what spurred their decision to return to school.
That is a group of people who are likely working full time and going to school full time while also scheduling in some family time. It isn’t easy, but I guarantee they will tell you that it is worth it.
You may fall somewhere in the middle. Maybe you don’t want kids, there’s nothing wrong with that. However, the idea of the only lunch dates you’ll ever have being business meetings may not be so appealing.
So take some time for yourself this summer and start planning for your future, because it is already here.
