We live in the time of the greatest recession. Millennial unemployment is at around 13%, which means the real number is somewhere around 20%. Our college debt has hit its ceiling, jobs are scarce and opportunity isn’t knocking. We are living in one of the most difficult times to go through our 20s — and our lives.

This is the most pivotal point of our life. What we do now, which direction we decide to go, is where our life will end up going. To make matters worse, 50% of college graduates from last May still have no jobs and are living in their parents’ basement — probably addicted to some sort of drug at this point. In a nutshell, the great promise of “go to school, get good grades, get a degree and have a easy life with a nice job” didn’t work out even half the way we thought it would.

This leaves many people in this generation very confused, afraid of mediocrity, and with the constant reminder that they don’t know what the hell they are going to do with their lives.

We need to stop being crybabies and quit complaining about how the world is not working out for us — just figure it out. If life is tough, get a helmet. What many are forgetting is that even with all of the roadblocks in our way, we actually have it easy. If you ask your parents or grandparents what the hell they had to go through when they immigrated here, you will realize that our lives have been walk in the park.

They found ways to figure it out, they found ways to put food on the table and they have found ways to make our lives better than their own growing up. This all came with them figuring out a way to make it work even though the world was constantly telling them no. What we should do is look at their actions when they were in our position, facing the obstacles we are facing. And then find a way to implement our discoveries in our lives.

After talking with many people from that generation, people who have a legacy and have created something from nothing, there is one commonality. Each and every one of them was motivated to make something out of their life, to put food on their family’s table — and would stop at nothing to do it.

They were fearless, and at that point of their lives, they had nothing to lose but everything to gain. A great man once explained to me, when you have nothing to lose, you start taking big risks that can yield big rewards. And that is exactly what that generation did; they put it all on the line and sacrificed everything for a better future. That is what we need to do if we want to survive.

It’s time to stop being afraid, it’s time to stop pouting and dwelling on what is not working out. It’s time to figure out a way to stand up and do something. It’s about time to be fearless and realize that we have nothing to lose, but everything to gain if we just try.

So many people are afraid of trying. They are afraid of being judged, they are afraid of failing and are constantly comparing themselves to other people. Well if you want to be afraid of those things, then stop reading this right now and take the easy way out and continue working towards your pension your whole life.

If you look at previous recessions, they’re when people flourished the most. Captains of industry like the Ford’s and the Carnegie’s capitalized on recessions. These entrepreneurs became successful during a time much like today. You have to understand that you can’t just sit there and depend on companies and employers to take care of you.

You have to realize that your degree means nothing, because the same work they would have you doing they can outsource to different countries and get it done at a fraction of the cost. You are obsolete until you make yourself special.

Reports show that 70% of high school students aim to become entrepreneurs at some time in their careers. Unmatched throughout history, entrepreneurs are becoming a factor in the political fixture. According to the Kauffman Foundation, entrepreneurs create 60% of all new jobs in the economy.

What you need to realize is that everything from life has sprung up from nothing. Sure it may look easy when guys like Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg are worth billions of dollars, but I assure you that you have no idea how tough their journeys were. They had to face things you couldn’t even imagine and what got them there was their fearless attitude in taking the chances that not many people would.

If you are worried about where your life will go, that is a good thing, because that means you actually care about yourself and your future. Whereas many are too afraid to deal with it, so they put it off, take perception pills and live under the YOLO lifestyle.

Ya, you might only live once, but your life sucks. It’s time to wake up and smell the coffee — as the good old saying goes — it’s time to take risks and do things outside of your comfort zone. Only rely on and worry about yourself because at the end of the day you can never depend on anyone.

Preston Waters | Elite.