Falling behind?

My dear readers,

This is my first post of 2019 and it comes right after Blue Monday so well into January! But that’s because this year I wanted to really gather some thoughts before getting back to posting. A slow start doesn’t always mean one is falling behind now, does it?

I hear this phrase a lot lately – “make sure you’re not falling behind” – and it’s being used to talk about many things really – career, personal life, buying a house or a car, travelling, having kids and the list can REALLY go on. It’s like everyone’s rushing to fit into this timeline. And now don’t get me wrong, I am a very organised person that goes by to-do lists, has a (quite old school, paper version) diary and ticks things off as she goes, so it’s not the ticking off that triggers me, it’s the pressure to do it in time. In time for what? And to a timeline set by who?

For a person that has finished her masters a few months ago and has been on a job hunt since, this hit close to home. Because if you’ve ever been on a job hunt you’d know that some days it gets really demotivating, frustrating and all that waiting for a call or an email makes your life plain boring sometimes. Add the fact that I am used to being very busy and useful and I am…ahem…slightly impatient (okay, cut the slightly, but I’m working on it, okay?) and you’ll get why hearing that I’m falling behind is not my favourite catch phrase.

I truly believe that each one of us has their own timeline and I will forever root for others because their success has nothing to do with mine, no matter if I’m having a good day or a bad day. We’re all on different paths, even if we are the same age, did the same degree or come from the same place etc., we’ll never want the EXACT same things. I have seen so many people settle for things that they thought surely must be the right ones for them because they worked well for others and ended up feeling miserable or it took them years to finally pursue what they truly wanted. And that makes me be completely against following a timeline and one timeline only. Instead, create your own timeline and own it.

I think the biggest thing to remember here is to not give up and to keep working HARD for what we want. I am still to meet a person that refused to give up and didn’t meet his/her goals. Visualize those goals and whenever you feel like you are ‘falling behind’ remember where you’re going and why you started. Each of us has a purpose but we’ll never find out what it is if we give up and just live based on someone else’s timeline.

Feel free to continue the conversation in the comments or reach out via email or social media. I’m always keen to hear your opinion!

And to end with a little styling tip, I’ll once again preach my love for jumpers of all sorts, but also admit that a pair of trousers and a jumper can become boring so just use a belt to spice it up – I used the belt that came with the trousers but go wild – colours, waistbags, multiple belts, reinvent your looks – remember it’s a timeline you’re creating so you can decorate it as you wish along the way.

Warm hugs, D.