A little reminder for all of us

The Boys

There’s a lot of pressure that comes with being an adult.

Somewhere along the way, we start believing we’re supposed to know what we’re doing. We’re supposed to have the answers, manage everything well, keep moving forward, and somehow make it all look easy.

But most people are figuring things out as they go.

Some days we feel confident. Other days, not so much. We make decisions, change our minds, learn from things we wish we had done differently, and sometimes realize that what worked for us a few years ago doesn’t work anymore.

That’s not failure. That’s life.

Growth doesn’t always look impressive

We tend to think of growth as something big.

A major breakthrough. A huge life change. A moment where everything suddenly makes sense.

But a lot of growth is much quieter than that.

Sometimes it’s noticing that you handled a stressful situation differently than you would have before.

Sometimes it’s realizing you need a break before you completely run yourself into the ground.

Sometimes it’s being able to say, “I really don’t know what the answer is right now,” and being okay with that.

Those things may not feel exciting, but they matter.

We don’t always notice our own growth because we’re living inside of it.

It’s okay to still be figuring yourself out

There’s nothing wrong with wanting more for yourself.

Most of us have things we want to improve. We want to be healthier, happier, calmer, more confident, more successful, or maybe just a little less overwhelmed.

But it’s easy to get so focused on becoming a better version of ourselves that we start being hard on the person we are right now.

And that person deserves some compassion too.

The version of you who gets tired.

The version who overthinks.

The version who makes mistakes.

The version who has responsibilities that nobody else completely sees.

You don’t have to have everything figured out before you can be proud of yourself.

Sometimes you only need the next step

We put a lot of pressure on ourselves to know where everything is going.

What’s the plan?

What happens next?

Where will I be in five years?

But sometimes the honest answer is, “I don’t know.”

And maybe that’s okay.

Sometimes all you really need to know is what comes next.

Make the phone call.

Take the day off.

Ask for help.

Try something new.

Finish the thing you’ve been avoiding.

Or maybe do absolutely nothing for an afternoon and stop feeling guilty about it.

Not every season of life has to be productive.

Give yourself some room

People change.

Priorities change. Dreams change. Life changes.

The person you were five years ago might have wanted something completely different than the person you are today.

That doesn’t mean the old version of you was wrong.

You just learned more.

Maybe one of the hardest things we can do is give ourselves permission to keep changing without needing to explain every part of it.

You can be grateful for where you are and still want something different.

You can be strong and still have days when you feel overwhelmed.

You can love your life and still admit that some parts of it are hard.

Those things can exist at the same time.

None of us really have everything figured out.

Some people are just better at making it look that way.

So if you’re in a season where you’re questioning things, changing things, or simply trying to keep up with everything life is asking of you, give yourself a little room.

You’re still learning.

So is everyone else.