The Pressure to have everything figure out

 

Introduction:-

Growing up comes with a lot of questions. What do you want to do in the future? What career are you choosing? When are you going to start working? Do you have a plan? These questions might sound normal, but there are moments when they make us realise how much we are expected to know about a life we are still trying to understand.

We are often told to have goals, make decisions, and work towards a successful future. We also see people around us moving forward, achieving things, and making choices. Somewhere along the way, we may start wondering whether we are doing enough ourselves. Sometimes, we wonder whether standing still means we are falling behind.

When Growing Up Starts Feeling Like a Deadline:-

Sometimes, growing up feels less like enjoying life and more like trying to meet a list of expectations. First, it's about getting good marks, then getting into a good college, finding a job, earning well, getting married, and eventually having children. 

There always seems to be another milestone waiting, and someone else's life becomes the benchmark we are expected to reach. But everyone has their own pace and their own journey. Life is not a race where everyone starts from the same line and has to reach every destination together. 

The Space to Understand Ourselves:-

We are often encouraged to make decisions about our future, but we aren't always given enough space to understand ourselves before making them. Sometimes, we are so busy answering questions about what comes next that we hardly get the chance to ask ourselves what we genuinely enjoy, what matters to us, or what kind of life we want to build. 

I feel that understanding ourselves shouldn't be something we are expected to finish by a certain age. It is something that can happen gradually, even while we are making plans and figuring out what comes next.

When constant comparisons arise, we start to doubt ourselves. Am I doing enough? Why am I not achieving more? These questions can become especially difficult when we are still trying to understand what we want. Sometimes, while trying to meet everyone's expectations, we lose track of what we expect from ourselves.

CONCLUSION:-

Life doesn't always follow the plans we make, and that's okay. We might change our minds, take unexpected turns, or discover things we never imagined. In the end, I think it's not about living up to someone else's timeline, but about finding a path that feels right for us. 

This post is a part of blogchatter half marathon