You’re scrolling through Instagram, and you come across a photo of an old friend from middle school, sharing that he got his dream job. You later see photos of a friend from high school who uploaded about her new life in California. A couple of scrolls later, you see that one friend from college is getting engaged. Suddenly, the part-time internship you just landed feels small, and you feel like you should be doing more with your life. Your twenties can start to feel like a countdown. People tend to believe they are falling behind in life by comparing themselves to others. The truth is, you don’t have to have it all figured out by 21… or anytime soon!
Today, digital comparison is very common among teenagers and young adults. Social media can be both a blessing and a curse, because endless scrolling leads to reminders of things you haven’t achieved yet. These things can lead you to believe you must accomplish them yourself to be satisfied or content with your life. We forget that we see the lives of these people through a screen and that we don’t get to see the in-between moments. The challenges, the heartbreaks, the failures, and the hard work people put into achieving those goals. Everyone’s journey looks different because everyone has their own purpose that is presented to them in separate ways. Some people find their purpose through heartbreak, others through traveling, and others through a job they started that they never intended on taking in the first place.
Success is seen differently by everyone. For one person, success can mean being accepted into medical school, while for another it can mean finding the courage to switch their major at the last minute. Worrying about what looks impressive on a resume or an Instagram post is not what’s important. It’s following the path that aligns with your values. The only timeline that truly matters is your own and what you make of it.
Trusting your timing is the most essential part of following your path. Everyone moves at a different pace, whether that’s with their academics, relationships, or careers. All our lives, we’ve been taught to reach these specific milestones in a certain order: graduate high school, get a degree, get a job, get married, and more. It conditioned us to think that these milestones equate success. Eventually, we grow to learn that life doesn’t always work out the way we expect it to. It’s filled with difficulties, surprises, and ups and downs. These milestones unfold differently for everyone.
Success isn’t about when you arrive at the finish line, but who you become along the way. Your personal growth throughout your journey is the largest accomplishment you’ll ever reach. You have your whole life to figure out who you want to be or what you want to do. You can even change your mind whenever you’d like. Achievements might come years after you thought they would, and that’s okay. Life isn’t supposed to be a race. There’s no right order for becoming who you’re meant to be.