In this day and age, we are constantly reminded about what we don’t have by advertisements, TV shows and even social media. Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram and Twitter constantly notify us of all the things we haven’t achieved. If you are a Kardashian, you’re constantly flaunting your billions. But guess what? We aren’t all Kardashians and birthed by a Momager. We are people from all walks of life just trying to play the game of life in our own beautiful way.
Right now, no matter who you are, your life isn’t perfect. Whether it’s a parking ticket, a bad haircut or the fact that you burnt your dinner (for the third time this week). We are not perfect and that is perfectly okay. What is the fun of being perfect anyways?
While you continue to live your life day-by-day, try not to look at others and compare yourself to them. Listen, we get it: it’s SOOOO hard because they have what you want. Don’t worry, you’re on your way! At this point in your life, you might not be in a good place for buying your dream home, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t celebrate with your friends at their house-warming party. You can celebrate your friend’s success without comparing your life to theirs. It’s okay if you and your friends aren’t at the same place in your lives. That’s what makes life interesting.
Think about it: this isn’t a new thing. Growing up, your classmates didn’t look like you. You all didn’t play on the same soccer team, nor were you in the same Girl Scouts troop. Even before you had a career path and a “planned” future, you had different interests than all your friends. People live their lives with different interests, goals and achievements in mind. Even your parents didn’t achieve all their life milestones at the same time as their friends. Your mom or dad’s best friends probably didn’t get married and have kids at the same time as they did. This is because they all chose to live their lives differently. Taking any step in your life; college, military, workforce, children, buying a house, marriage or even getting a pet has no age restriction. You can do whatever you want, whenever you want.
When I was growing up, I realized early on that my parents weren’t the same as all my friends’ parents. A kid in my class was talking about his 46-year-old grandma and I thought he was lying to me. My dad was turning 51 that year. Cut me some slack, this was fourth grade, but from then on, I was hyper-aware of my parents being different.
When I was older, I asked my mom why her and my dad waited till they were older to have children. She explained to me that they had agreed before they were married that they wanted to have a life before they had kids. They had their lives that they lived before they met, the ones they had as a couple, as a married couple and then as a married couple with kids. This was the path that made the most sense to them, and to this day, they don’t regret their decision; however, what they did is not the correct way to live.
The way my parents chose to live their lives isn’t the correct way to live because there isn’t a correct way to live. Some couples decide to never get married. Some couples don’t want children. Some women decided to adopt and raise their own children. Some men stay a bachelor their whole lives. Some people aren’t interested in married life. All of it is okay. All of it is perfectly correct.
Throughout your college career and life endeavors, remind yourself that your achievements are individual to your personal experience. You should be proud of what you’re doing and where you’re going, so take ownership of that. Don’t allow friendly competitions between classmates or friends to have a detrimental effect on your self-worth. Competition can be good to push yourself to new lengths, but not if you’re comparing yourself to others. No matter where you are in life right now, you’re going somewhere.
Life is a journey on a long road with a lot of twist and turns, up and downs and sometimes there are potholes and even stops along the way. All our life milestones are along our life journey. Everyone has different achievements, in different orders, and at different times in their journeys. We are all created equal, but how we experience the world is not the same. Our interpretations of the world and understanding of it is not the same. Therefore, our stops and milestones will not happen at the same time. None of us have the same journey, and so we must recognize the differences between our life and other’s and appreciate what we have, not compare it.
Pictures: Cover Photo, 1