Everyone has a Different Timeline – Jennifer Mailly

Everyone has a Different Timeline

Shared by Jennifer Mailly

I remember in my early days of college, I was frequently antsy to get somewhere. When will I finally graduate? Get my dream job? When will I meet “the one”? Be where I want to be? To make matters worse, with this thing called social media, it’s real easy to feel like you are behind everyone else.

So and so got their master’s degree! Eye roll.

So and so got promoted to manager! Eye roll.

So and so got engaged! Eye roll.

Yes, this was me. And I know some of you probably have done this or currently do.

I’m going to tell you something from experience, and it was something I did not understand until several years after. You are not going to accomplish everything in your life:

• A) as you’ve always planned, and
• B) at the same pace as everyone around you.

I’ve always been a “planner”. I knew what career I wanted by the time I was 5 (and never changed my mind) and thought I’d reach certain milestones at specific points in my life. Reality ultimately smacked me hard in the face. That is just not how life works. None of it turned out as planned.

Years later, even when I found myself starting to get “somewhere”, I grew impatient. I was constantly seeking the next thing. Eventually, I was frustrated because I saw others getting things before me. This is the cold, hard truth: there is no defined timeline for success. Some people step into a company and grow exponentially in a seemingly short amount of time, while others, you know, take a little longer. And that is 100% okay.

Your value does not diminish just because you are not exactly where you want to be. Stop focusing on what others are doing and focus on YOU. What are you doing today, right now, to get to where you want to be? I can’t guarantee you when you will get somewhere, but I guarantee you will get somewhere if you keep persevering. Yes, there are a lot of unknowns in life, and when you will get the things you want is one of those unknowns. It’s all a part of the adventure of life. And take it from me, it is the unknowns along with years of hard work and sacrifice that will make you appreciate things so much more when you do have them.