You might wish you would have settled, but will eventually be thankful that was not the case.
There might be moments when you regret leaving a partner or quitting a job and starting completely from scratch. There might be moments when you miss the stability you used to have and wish you could take your past decisions back. However, you have to remember you walked away for a reason. You were not happy and you deserve happiness. It might take some more struggles to get there, but you are going to reach your destination. In the end, you are going to be relieved you refused to settle when given the chance.
It is natural to feel like you are falling behind but there isn’t a set timeline you are supposed to follow.
There is not a milestone age when you are supposed to have a home and a ring and a positive pregnancy stick. You might have those things, then lose those things, then gain those things again. Or you might not even want those things in the first place. You need to remember that, even though you might feel like everyone is pressuring you to live a certain type of life; your existence is not a competition. You are not racing to see who can cross milestones off a checklist first. You are simply doing your best to find happiness in a crazy world.
The embarrassment is not going to kill you.
You might be embarrassed about getting divorced or losing your dream job or moving out of your beautiful home but shitty things happen. There might be people who judge you or pity you over your ‘setbacks’, but frankly, those people aren’t worth your time. Once you spot them, you can begin to weed them out of your life. You can keep the good people around instead, the people who love and support you no matter how successful you look from afar.
You are going to feel lost and that is okay.
You might feel like dating or job hunting should be easier now that you are older and wiser, but those things are never going to be easy. There are always going to be hurdles. You are always going to feel a little unsure and off-balance. Remember, it is okay if you have absolutely no idea what you are doing, even though you are older now.
Your struggles might be visible, but you are not the only one struggling.
When you go through a major life change, everyone is going to hear the news, which can feel daunting. However, just because you are publicly going through a change does not mean you are the only one suffering. The people around you are dealing with problems of their own. They are not perfect, either. They are simply dealing with their issues quietly.
Embrace changes instead of running from them.
It is never too late to start over. Instead of telling yourself that you should have made certain changes years ago, you should remind yourself that you can make the change now so you do not have the same regret in a few more years. Always remember it is better late than never.
