When I was 16, I had my entire life mapped out by the time I hit 25. I was going to be a well travelled individual, jump on the property ladder, work as a journalist, have a ring on my left hand and own a wardrobe filled to the brim with designer goodies. Well I hit 25 earlier this year and life hasn't quite gone where I thought it'd go.
After years of interning I managed to get my dream job and can finally proudly call myself a bone fide journalist - something I thought would never happen. I've also managed to bag that Mulberry after months of hardcore saving. But the others? I'm not even close to ticking them off the list so does this mean i've somehow failed at life?
After having a mini meltdown earlier on in the year when my friends started becoming grown up and investing in property, I had the realisation that success in life isn't straight forward. I was beginning to feel left behind and wondering if my stubbornness not to become a grown up was holding me back. Was it about time I embraced being in my mid twenties and start behaving how society said I should?
Life is not a race so stop comparing yourself to others. You might look on in envy to your friends and wish you were keeping up with the Jones' but I can promise you they're looking at you wishing exactly the same thing. They might have own a house but you get to buy that Chanel lipstick whenever you want as you live at home. They might have a high flying career and earn more than you could ever dream off but you get a jiffy bag full of chocolate sent to you at work. They might be getting married but you can tell your boyfriend to go home so you can binge watch The Tudors. They might only wear designer shoes but you can feel smug as you've managed to find some bargains in TK Maxx.
I may not have a house to call my own, spent a year travelling around the world being 'cultured' or own those coveted Christian Louboutins but to be honest i'm pretty darn happy with the way life is going. Nothing fun is ever straight forward right? And I am still only 25.
Your time will come so stop trying to rush it. Life is too short.
Thanks for this post Sophie, I needed it today! X
ReplyDeletemademoiselle-lala.com
Couldn't agree more Sophie.. lovely to read today. XX
ReplyDeleteYour time will come. I'm 31 and I'm still working it all out!! Enjoy what you have and are doing now, the rest will come in its due time
ReplyDeleteRosie xx
Hear hear! I had a meltdown when my little sister went to uni a few weeks ago and realised I was so far from being a student that I should have more things ticked off the 'adult' list. But you're right, things take time and actually, I'm happy where I am!
ReplyDeleteCx
Shopped and Dropped - a lifestyle blog
Agree so much with this! I'm trying to reduce the number of "big" goals I'm setting myself in favour of smaller and more achievable ones as I'm tired of putting myself under pressure. There's no time limit to do any of this stuff - I am only a home-owner through complete luck and chance but I definitely have moments where I worry we rushed into it and regret being poor all the time. Marriage equally isn't something to rush into, we will have been engaged for five years when we get married but to be honest it feels like a bit of a formality (albeit an expensive and elaborate one).
ReplyDeleteDifferent things make different people happy and that's what makes the world go round :) xx
This is so true. Everyone is different and success to them is therefore calculated in a different way. It's important to realise that there's probably not one person who is completely and utterly content with the fact that their life turned out exactly how they planned it when they were young - this is what I tell myself anyway.
ReplyDeleteLooove this Sophie. Everyone is different and has their own way of getting $hit done!
ReplyDeleteExcellent post Sophie, so honest and something so many of us experience on a daily basis. As a 28 (on Friday) year old I thought I would have done a lot more in life than I have but then I remember all the things I've been very fortunate to do that others haven't. It's all about remembering the little things and slowly, the big things will fall into place. Another thing I try and remember is that I've lived my 20s to the fullest, yes I could have saved to buy a house etc but I've had fun and travelled and there's plenty of years to come to be sensible. Enjoy being responsibility free whilst you can xx
ReplyDeletePerfect timing! I've been reminding myself of this a lot over the last week or so.
ReplyDeleteLove this. And you.
ReplyDeletexxxxxxx
Love this post! I think whatever I do I'll always feel like I could have achieved more - everyone does things differently and there's definitely no "right order" or "right age" to have done it by. Also, someone may have all the shit that you want but that doesn't mean they're happy - I try to remind myself of this and just try to stop bloody worrying all the time - not that it's easy! x
ReplyDeleteI just wrote a post about this exact type of thing and I am so glad that someone else has been writing about it too! Thank you for this Sophie, I need to take on board what you wrote and just be me, not worry about having everything planned and just enjoy life. - Tasha xxx
ReplyDeleteI've also come to the conclusion that happiness is key. Someone may seem to have more than you, but that's not necessarily a measure of happiness. <3
ReplyDeleteVery well said. I like. To think of all the things that I've been able to experience and see while their at home getting married and having babies
ReplyDeletelove this post, I'm from a far poorer background than most of my friends I met at college and blogger mates and I've always had to pay for everything myself and my mum won't have money to give me for a house and I didn't take out a student loan, I just worked every weekend from the age of 14 to pay for what I needed. I'm proud that what little I do have I did alone and I may not have a house or a particularly high flying job but I'm very happy with my lot and I know a lot of people from my home town never got out and have never been to the other side of the world like I have so I'm very grateful. (I make the Valleys sound awful but it's not, just poor but a good community)
ReplyDeleteReally needed to read this today. I'm such a sucker for falling into the comparing myself to other people trap - especially after really tough days at work or when ANOTHER friend announces they're engaged/pregnant/have a fab new job etc.
ReplyDeleteSometimes it's good to block out what everyone else is doing and concentrate on what's good with your own life! Xx
Such true words. Lovely to read!
ReplyDeleteLou | lolaspooks.com
Definitely needed to hear those words Sophie! Life has gone a few steps backwards for me and i keep comparing myself to others and getting so stressed out and worked up about everything! Your twenties are for figuring life out i think :) And you're right, your time will most definitely come lovely :)
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Sade xo