It’s Okay To Live Life At Your Own Speed

I’m 29 years old. I live with my folks. I had to get a GED because I dropped out of high school after developing anxiety disorder and not being able to sit through a class without panic attacks. I didn’t get my driver’s license until 26 or go on my first date until 22. Hearing all of this information, the majority of people out there would be inclined to label me as a “loser.”

The majority of people in my age range have their own places, marriages and children. They live “adult lives.” For most of my life, I’ve been afraid of telling people about myself. I’ve always compared myself to everyone else and thought that I just didn’t measure up. I didn’t want people to know that I’d failed in life.

The only question is…who exactly decides who is a failure and who is a success?

My life may not be where society deems it should at this particular age, but as each day passes, I find myself caring less and less. It’s ok to live life at your own speed. It’s ok for YOU to decide when you’re ready for things. It takes some people longer than others to get to those “grown up” phases of life, but that doesn’t mean you should be ashamed. Considering yourself a failure today, doesn’t mean you won’t turn it around and be a success tomorrow. I feel it’s time that people learned to accept the lives they live and not try to be who and where society says we should.

Now I’m studying at a community college and unloading trucks at Walmart four days a week. I spend weekends volunteering at an animal shelter. I keep myself busy and those feelings of not being “good enough” have completely vanished. Success can happen at anytime, even if it takes you to 40. Living the life that makes you happy, having a career that makes you happy, being the person you want to be…these are the things that determine a true success, no matter what age they occur at.