About Time

Friend, it’s easy to measure ourselves against all of the things we’re supposed to do, be, or have accomplished by a certain point in our lives.

By 18 I will graduate high school.

By 22 I will be a college graduate.

By 25 I will be in my ideal career.

By 27 I will be married.

By 30 I will have my first child.

By 32 I will be a home owner.

The problem with these arbitrary timelines, is that we risk feeling like a failure if we have not met or accomplished these goals. We risk feeling like we’re not good enough, or that there is something wrong with us if we don’t measure up to these things that we think we’re supposed to do or be.

These ages are the average for people in the U.S. If I were to measure myself against these averages, friend, I would be deemed a failure. I did not accomplish any of these things by these ages – and some I have yet to have accomplished at all.

Who says that these things are what are valuable in determining our success? Who says that these things HAVE to be accomplished by such-and-such an age?

Have goals, friend. Have aspirations and dreams and things that you are striving to accomplish and be and do, but please do not determine or decide your success by if you meet a deadline or not.

Your success should, instead, be determined by the size of your heart, by the amount of dedication and persistence that you show, by how much you’ve grown, how hard you work, and by the quality of your life experiences.

If you spend your time measuring yourself against what others have done, or are doing, you risk missing out on celebrating the very real accomplishments that you are making everyday.

The lives you change by freely giving a smile to each person you greet.

The difference you make with the words you’ve spoken and written.

The places you’ve traveled and the things you have seen and done that others have only dreamed of.

The relationships and friendships that you have formed and grown.

Instead of focusing on the timeline, on the things that you have yet to complete and accomplish, focus on all the things you’ve done, the memories that you’ve gathered, and the love that you’ve shared and received.

Friend, you have your own timeline, and that timeline is perfect. You will bloom when you’re ready, and you’ll be beautiful.

Always,

Your Trusted Friend ♥