Everyone seems to be leading near perfect lives when you talk to them, as though they are on a specific track for success. Social media doesn't help either. That happy couple I've seen on facebook...little did people know they had a horrible fight that very morning. Or that group pic of friends looking like they're having the time of their lives...half of them might be really lonely or lost despite being surrounded by others. I used to often compare myself to others, but since I got a later start in life I always felt behind financially, relationally and so on. Comparing yourself to others is a bad habit given that we are all dealt unique cards in life. Knowing where to start is the hard part, and even when you think you found a solution, you may try it and realize you were mistaken. This may actually be a good thing in retrospect. I've had at least 20 jobs in my life. I thought sales was the answer, but I was wrong. I had no passion for it. Then I tried marketing. Nope, not my thing?. I rented out cars for a bit. Hated it. Out of desperation for money I took a customer service job for a failing online jewelry store. I just did what I had to to survive because I strongly believed in resiliency. Little did I know that each misstep in my career choice led me one step closer to where I am today. I eventually decided to go back to school to study pyschology. Now years later, every month I have new clients coming in because they've had to experience a ton of adversity in their young lives. Trauma. Depression. Anxiety. Relationship issues. A sense of confusion in regards to who they are at their core. An inauthentic self. These clients are fantastic people with tremendous potential yet the tragedy of it all is they are the ones who are unaware of their own potential. The most important person to believe in is yourself. You will fail at certain stages in your journey. But it's not so much as to how hard you fall. Rather it's how high you bounce. Whether you realize it or not your path has already begun. It's up to you regarding where you want it to go from here. That's called taking control of your future.

Going back to where to start, that's difficult to say given we all have different aspirations and limitations. Getting out of dodge and traveling the world to gain perspective is beneficial for some people but not for others. Going back to school is always a great option if you have a specific career track in mind. Starting your own endeavors as an entrepreneur may be on the table. Either way it all starts with you. It starts with getting to know yourself better. Accepting that your previous struggles don't have to be indicative of your future. Every opportunity ahead of you is a new opportunity to succeed. Awareness and insight are the catalysts to change. Sometimes we need someone (ie a therapist or mentor) to paddle the canoe along side us so we may stop going in circle and start moving forward.