The greatest challenge that we can ever face in life is, well, basically life itself and staying motivated throughout everything it throws at us.

Some of those challenges could be passing classes for school, getting promoted at work, choosing what we want to do with our lives, or just about any other goals we want to accomplish.

It is all part of the journey we all take in life, but at the end of it all you just need to keep pushing towards the goal that you are trying to achieve. Life is not going to stop for anybody and the sooner you realize that, the sooner you will want to work toward your goals.

One of the things I wish I did when I first started attending Rio Hondo College was to take school seriously. I also wish I didn’t slack off with my grades. Unfortunately, life does not come with an instruction manual and I failed some classes and got held back.

I was also just going to school only to go without really knowing what I wanted to do. Sure, I said I was majoring in journalism, but even then I was not too serious about it. I also realized I was at community college for a long time while most of my friends were graduating or doing other interesting things in life. Sure enough, I became depressed and unmotivated in life because I felt like a failure for not finishing community college sooner.

Now, I am back on track with my grades, writing for the school newspaper again, and will be transferring to Cal State Long Beach in the Fall of this year to work on my Bachelors in Journalism. Sure, it took longer than most, but now I know I want to get my Bachelors in Journalism and make a career out of it when I graduate.

Just remember that success does not come overnight and it is going to take time. You might even fail at first. Believe me, I know. At the end of it all, everything is going to be okay and you will get to where you want to be. Make sure you don’t give up and it will be alright.

Some examples of successful people who had rough paths include Robert Downey Jr, the actor who portrays Iron Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe films, who was an ex-drug addict and had issues with the law in the past. He is now one of the most respected actors in the film industry. J.K. Rowling, the creator of the Harry Potter books, was a broke and depressed single mother who was writing her novels while studying and later on made a living off her books which have now been adapted into films. Michael Jordan, one of the greatest basketball players of all time was cut from his high school basketball team.

These are just a few out of the many examples of people who have failed many times before becoming successful.

One quote that I have always found inspiration from, even though it is from the fictional character, the Green Arrow from DC comics is “An arrow can only be shot by pulling it backward. So when life is dragging you back with difficulties, it means that it’s going to launch you into something great. So just focus, and keep aiming.”

So just keep on trying and don’t let anyone stop you from achieving your goals. At the end of the day, you shouldn’t care if people look down on you because of where you are in life. People usually don’t even care after a while so just enjoy the journey. You will get there if you keep trying.

Life will be full of setbacks and failures, but who doesn’t fail? Like writer Stephen McCranie said, “the master had failed more than the beginner has even tried.” Don’t be afraid to fail. Be afraid that you never actually tried.

Don’t worry about where you are right now. Like Green Arrow said in his quote, “just focus, and keep aiming.”