Happy Friday, loves!
I hope you had the best week! The Nordstrom Anniversary Sale started yesterday so be sure to check out my favorite feminine picks here. 😉 Today’s blog post, however, is about a more serious issue: my experiences with age-related societal pressure and how I’ve overcome them. We’ve all felt this way at some point and I think it’s an important topic to address.
Outfit Details
Cece Dress c/o | Seychelles Mules c/o | Ellen & James Handbag (similar here) | SugarFix Necklace x/o | Rocksbox Cuff (get one month for free here!)
We live in a society where everything is scheduled and there’s pressure to get everything done by a certain age. There is a “right” way to do things. You’re told to go to college, find a husband, buy a house, have a baby, and land that dream career on a strict timeline. Everyone else seems to have a plan for you and when things just don’t work out that way, they don’t understand it. It’s “what people do” and I know we’ve all felt like this at some point in our life.
I’ve been married for just over five years and I can’t tell you how many times I get asked about when we are planing to start a family (at least a few times a week). I mean, I guess it’s pretty natural to assume that it’s the next big step in someone’s life so I get it. It’s gotten to the point where someone has even told me that I don’t want to have kids because I don’t like kids, which is completely untrue (hello! I subbed for five years!) and an unnecessary and hurtful assumption. To be honest, I’m just not ready for that. I’m not at the point in my life where I feel secure enough to start a family and there are still so many things I want to accomplish. I want to travel and experience things that I feel I wouldn’t be able to do as much of otherwise. I want to enjoy every moment with my husband and the freedom that we share. I want to take advantage of every opportunity that comes my way because I know I won’t always be able to. Yet as each year rolls around, I also feel worried that too much time is passing and that there’s only a limited time window left.
I’ve also felt like this in my career. I was always a straight A student and had a plan for my life. I only wanted to be one thing and I worked my butt off to get there. While I was being hurdled over obstacles and getting rejected left and right, I watched as my peers “surpassed” me in their career journeys. While they starting down their successful career paths as traditional working professionals, I felt like I was being left behind. I was stuck chasing the only dream I ever had and getting nowhere. People always questioned me and told me that I should just give up and settle into a more traditional career. Settle. They said it was easier and that’s what normal people do. Chasing my dream was terrifying, especially when no one else understood. And when I finally started to make it happen, I worried that it was now “too late” and I wished that I had figured out how to do this years ago.
But I didn’t. That’s because everything happens when it’s supposed to. Cast aside the fear of what other’s think and what you are “supposed to do.” Do what makes YOU happy and what you feel is right for your own life. We are in charge of our own destinies and not everyone’s life or journey looks the same. We all want different things at different times and we shouldn’t have to abide by society’s timeline or rules for our life. And we most certainly shouldn’t feel guilty or bad about ourselves if it means that we do things at a later time than others. We are never “too old” for anything – not for love, not for buying a home, not for switching careers, and not for chasing after your dreams. Live your life without limitations and trust that things happen when they should…because in my experience, they always do. 😉
Have you ever felt this way?
xo
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