Why Your Timeline Doesn’t Have to Look Like Everyone Else’s
I was sitting with a friend the other day, scrolling through social media — engagement photos, new houses, baby announcements, promotions — and I caught myself thinking: Am I running out of time? It’s a thought that creeps in often, especially in your late 20s. There’s this silent pressure, this invisible timeline we’re all somehow expected to follow:
🎓 Get a degree
💼 Land the dream job
💍 Get married
🏡 Buy a house
👶 Have children
And if you haven’t ticked them off by a certain age, it starts to feel like you’ve failed. Like you missed the train. Like you’re falling behind. I know that feeling intimately.
As someone living with a rare and deteriorating disease, I’ve had to wrestle with these expectations in a very real and raw way. My health doesn’t always allow for long-term planning. Some days, I don’t know what tomorrow will look like — let alone five years from now.
And yet, that doesn’t stop me from wondering…
Will I ever have a home of my own?
Can I have children?
Will I get to experience a big career moment that lights me up inside?
I don’t have clear answers. But what I do have is a deep belief that my story is still unfolding. And even though it may not look like everyone else’s, that doesn’t make it any less meaningful, powerful, or full of joy. Letting go of comparison has been one of the toughest journeys — but also the most liberating.
Because here’s the truth I’ve come to live by: My future won’t look “normal”… but it will still be extraordinary.
It will be built with bravery.
Shaped by resilience.
Held together by community and love.
And even if I don’t achieve every item on that so-called list, I know I’m still building a life worth celebrating. One full of adventure, impact, and heart. So if you’re reading this and feeling like time is slipping away — like you haven’t done “enough” — let me pause you right here:
You are not behind.
You are not late.
You are living a life that’s uniquely yours — and that’s something to be proud of.
Here’s to the late bloomers.
The dreamers.
The ones on winding paths.
You are exactly where you need to be.
Want to journey deeper with me?
I explore this very topic — the tension between expectation and reality, hope and hardship — in my book Finding My Feet. It’s a deeply personal look at what it means to rewrite the rules and embrace your own timeline.
