Are you where you “should be”?

When you were younger did you think you would have it all figured out by the age you are now? Are you having a quarter-life crisis? Maybe you just drank a whole bottle of wine and cried into a pizza, before devouring the whole thing and binging Making a murderer on Netflix? Or maybe all your friends are getting married or having babies and you’re still struggling to find a date for your plus one? Welcome to my life!

Every day at my job in the restaurant I get asked “So what do you ACTUALLY do?” I try not to get offended when people ask; as hard as that is. I want to say, “thats ACTUALLY none of your business”. What I really say is “I’m still figuring some stuff out” which is true, but frustrating nonetheless. 

Society teaches us that we should grow up, choose our career path at age 18 and continue to work in that chosen career until we retire at 65 ish. And for women you should add in there by around 30 (give or take a few years) you should have some children, with the guy you met around 7 years ago and will have married.  

If this looks similar to your life, well congratu-fucking-lations! Good for you, but in this day and age, you’re the minority, honey! Times have changed and this just ain’t the way it goes for most people. Everyones journey is different. There is no right or wrong time to do something. There is no rule book that says any of these things should be done, by a certain age, or at all for that matter! This is your life and don’t let anyone else’s judgey opinions make you think otherwise. 

I think its important to remember that no matter how perfect other peoples lives seem, it doesn’t matter whether it actually is or not; because their life is none of your business, just as your life is none of theirs!

Below I’ve reposted an infographic, created by startup blog Funders and Founders which demonstrates how some huge names didn’t even start learning in their field we now know them for, until well into adulthood. 

Vera Wang was a figure skater before she entered the fashion industry at age 40.

Samuel L. Jackson didn’t get his big break until his role in Spike Lee’s – Jungle Fever in 1991 at age 43!

Henry Ford didn’t create the model T car until age 45. As he once famously said:

“If you think you can, or you think you can’t, you’re right”

Henry Ford

So if you’re still struggling to find the right career path, or feel as though you haven’t saved enough money, or worried you haven’t found your person yet, these are your steps you have to take to get there. 

No matter what society says, what people say, there is no time line. This is your journey and every single step is important, the good and the bad. It’s shaping you, everyday. Its helping you make decisions about your life and your path. 

You are in control, you are calling the shots, and you’ve got this!

So the answer is yes! YOU are exactly where YOU should be!