RRR with Rayan: I feel like time is flying by

Q: The school year is ending, I feel like time is flying by. I'm getting nervous. I feel like the future is so close. What do I do?

Dear reader,

Thank you for your question. I think how you're feeling is more common than you may think. College seems to be fueled by a series of existential crises, and if you want me to be honest, I freak out about this very topic every day. I think it's in our nature to want to have everything figured out, to feel secure, and to know that it's going to be okay, but the future isn't something we can predict, and I hate to be cliche, but honestly all we can do is continue to hone in on the present. It's worth asking yourself, how do I feel about where I am now? What's going well? What are my values? What do I want my life to look like? The more you inquire and grow through this struggle, the less daunting the future will seem.

Knowing who you are and what you love today is what will inform your future tomorrow. It's normal to be afraid, but you can work through that fear by finding security in yourself now. Do you have any goals or plans? If not, that's okay too, but sometimes having a goal can be helpful and allow you to make tangible steps towards the kind of life you want to create. The goal doesn't even need to be extravagant. It should be something that's meaningful to you. For some it's graduate school, a six-figure job, or starting a business, but it can also be finishing your favorite book series, finding a new hobby, or making time for yourself. Whatever that goal is, stick to it, and use your fear to drive you.

As a graduating senior myself with an immense amount of fear of the unknown, I want to be able to tell you that there will be no bumps in the road, and I can't, but what I can tell you is that you already have all of the tools you need to create a life for yourself that is rich, in more ways than one. You are already a student, soon to accomplish a beautiful goal, with a set of shiny new credentials that you didn't have before. You are introspective, asking yourself important questions, and you are in tune with yourself, noticing that time feels faster than ever before. Take time to slow down and do the things you love and focus on a goal that feels tangible, and the rest will fall into place.