The crippling fear of falling behind

What are you supposed to be achieving by the time you hit 25? By 28? 30? These are the questions that keep running in and out of my head. It seems to me that everyone has it all figured out. And the fact that our era is always worshiping wunderkind does not seem to be any help to me.

Sometimes I feel like I am lagging behind while my friends are racing ahead in their careers and personal lives. I reckon sharing this thought with a friend and she told me that this was unhealthy. Guess she was right for I am falling in the comparison trap.

I’ve been consumed by questions regarding the direction of my career, relationship and overall life purpose lately. I am highly driven yet, it seems that I am struggling to unleash my full potential and consequently falling behind.

Envy rears its ugly head and I end up feeling bad about myself for not being as successful as the people I admire. Consequently, I compare my path to others that are not my own. Though I know deep down that my journey is different from theirs.

No matter how many times I keep telling myself that my current situation is not my final destination, I do not seem to be able to convince myself. I found myself trying to shortcut success for it worked for other people.

Though I know deep down that being faster does not always mean better and that some people are not going nowhere fast. I need to learn how to ignore what everyone else is doing and focus on myself. Your life is about breaking your own limits and not pitting with others. Just because you’re taking time does not mean that you are failing. I’m going through my personal pressure detox lately. I keep repeating myself that it’s my life and my timeline! The rest is just noise…