picture-less frame

This is a frame that I've had sitting in my room for at least two years. It really is a lovely piece. I got it for like 65% off from Target and it totally fits the motif of my meager dwelling. But the thing is, I can't find a picture to put in it. Its so nice, I don't want to put a lame-o pic inside. So, as it stands, its a picture-less frame. It just sits there collecting dust, not framing anything of worth, not hung on a wall, not doing anything but taunting me every time I look at it. It could be something quite extraordinary, it could be the object of every one of my visitor's eye and admiration... but with no picture, its a $8 wooden rectangle.
Sometimes I feel like that frame. It has been a really weird month for me self-esteem wise. I've had 2 professors (one that I respect, and one I think very little of) tell me that I've wasted my life thus far and if I was serious about anything, I'd be great, but as it stands I'm... well... they didn't really say. I've also had relationships into which I have much invested broken down to little more than what seems to be a whole lot of incongruity... and meh... just not a fun time!
Contrast that with a professor that I hold in the highest regard tell me that he's incredibly excited and proud of what I've done and wants to help me succeed in the future any way he can. But its in a totally new direction than what I was thinking... All these things have really left me reeling, to understate an emotion.
I'll not venture too far into the self-diagnosis physiological side of this whole ordeal, but the fact of the matter is my lack of a college degree is something that has been weighing me down for the better part of a decade. I can scarcely even wax dreamily about future aspirations without one of my dearly loved family members reminding me that I can't do anything w/o a degree. We're a band of encouragers, let me tell you... So the fact that in a mere 4 1/2 months that tremendous weight will be lifted off my shoulders is... well, it's a trip, man. This unresolved milestone will soon be resolved, so grow up, I must.
So now its like I need to be the amazing picture in the frame. I need to go and "be somebody". It is certainly exciting, but also terrifying, as you can imagine. I have an awesome job, but there is little doubt that that season is quickly coming to an end. So what's next? What's the grand picture in the beautifully simple frame going to be? I'm not sure yet. As much as I want to plan for the future, I need to also rein myself in and realize I still have to FINISH school- I have a capstone paper to write this next semester- and I am still very much gainfully employed and owe them my undivided time and attention (especially since they have been so amazing during this past year of commutes and distance... such a blessing!)
My fear is, though, that the longer the frame sits and waits for its picture the more prone it is to wear and tear or going out of style... that once the picture is taken, the frame will no longer be the centerpiece it could be today. That is, I don't want life to pass me by. It is a tedious balance one must strike...