Sometimes I scroll through social media and feel as if everyone is getting married, engaged, or having a baby, but the reality is, if I were getting married now, I’d probably feel like everyone else was single. If I wasn’t in school, I’m sure I’d think everyone was in school but me. I feel behind at times because I catch myself comparing my timeline to those around me. We all do it, even if we don’t admit it. The path we take in life, and the decisions we make are up to us to choose. No path is wrong, and no one has room to judge another person’s course, but sometimes we find ourselves doing it.

Social media is great for the good and detrimental for the bad. No one posts their failures or their hundreds of rejected job applications. Couples don’t post their fights, hardships, and personal struggles. No one posts long nights spent studying or days at work that left them drained. Moms don’t post their sleepless nights, or reproductive or postpartum struggles. We only show the world the good. We take everyone’s good and compare it to our own life. We can feel rushed, left out, left behind, and we can feel alone.

The truth is, no matter how old we are or what stage of life we are going through, we should be proud of ourselves and support those around us. We should cheers to those finding love, to those creating little humans, to those getting degrees, to those going back to school, to those recovering from trauma, to those who landed their dream job, to those who travel, to those who are finally finding themselves, and to those learning to take care of their body. We should be so proud of ourselves that we can get to a point where the lives of others don’t allow us to feel rushed or behind.

So, no, not everyone is getting married, not everyone is getting another degree, and not everyone is landing a top job. We are all learning the ropes of life no matter what age we are. Everyone’s life path is different, and everyone’s needs are different. Not everyone gets married, not everyone wants to get married, not everyone goes to school, and not everyone wants to go to school. Some people never want to leave their hometown, and others plan their life around traveling the globe. It is okay to be different, it is okay to struggle with life decisions. No one’s path looks the same, and that is honestly such a beautiful aspect of life. Comparison is the death of happiness, and it’s where we lose gratitude for who we are and where our journey is taking us. We all try our best and find it in ourselves to create happiness and love along the way. Support those around you for both the big and little steps, we all are doing the best we can, and that’s all that matters.

If our dreams, talents, journeys, and perspectives were the same, the world would be quite a boring place, so i’m quite thankful for our differences.

I’m proud of you if you -

• learned to love your body

• feed your body what makes you happy

• move your body

• started/have a job

• found love

• created love

• spread love

• overcome sickness or trauma

• moved to a new place

• supported those around

• talk to yourself with kindness

• stayed true to yourself

• are following your dreams

• are living outside of your comfort zone