You aren’t behind
Do you feel ‘behind’? You’re not alone. Almost all of us are familiar with this feeling — our survey of our community showed 97% have felt this way!)
That’s because the timeline is made up. Life is not a race that you have to win. It’s an unfolding of an experience that helps you to learn, contribute, and evolve.
We get into trouble when we measure ourselves against this imaginary and impossible-to-meet external metric. Happiness is not something you get when you meet a series of societally-defined markers or achievements. It comes from crafting a life that is authentic and personally meaningful, one that is uniquely your own.
Embrace the reality of your life, in its wonderful uniqueness. If the feelings of comparison to the imaginary timeline arise, pause and remind yourself: “I won’t compare my wonderfully unique life. I will embrace where I am now and move towards what brings me joy.”
And don’t forget to celebrate others’ wonderfully unique lives, too. Every time a person forges their own path, it adds so much color and wisdom to our collective experience. Bit by bit, we can build a world where everyone is encouraged to craft their own experience of happiness.
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