Life Doesn't Exist on a Timeline. It Exists in our Hearts and Begins When we Listen.
Look around you. What do you notice about the people you surround yourself with? I imagine they’re like you. At least I imagine they’re going through similar life experiences that you are. Are they? If they aren’t they’re probably emanating behaviors and qualities that you admire and care to possess.
As we age we surround ourselves with people who are moving through similar life experiences as us. We slowly move ourselves from relationships with people who are not experiencing the same life stages that we are experiencing. That’s why it’s common to see mothers having lunch together, athletes working out together and coworkers having a drink together. They GET each other. Their similar experiences have created a bond between them that pushes them to become closer.
But if you were to rewind the clock and step back in time you may not have ever thought that you would have lost touch with the people you did. But it happened. Life changed and so did you.
You might even be able to pinpoint the time that you started to recognize that life moved through stages. You didn’t know them yet but saw them as steps on a small ladder. With every step, you were rewarded.
With more time, the stages began to unfold. And each stage brought a deeper awareness that not having moved through it made you different then the others. An outcast. And with time, at some point or another we all became a victim to the TIMELINE OF LIFE.
I know, I have. I moved through stages at different rates than those who surrounded me. At times it was faster and at other times it as slower. And each and every time, my life stage was different I felt shame for having had it that way.
The traditional timeline of life has done more harm then good. How many of us have suffered or felt like we didn’t belong because we didn’t move through the traditional stages of life as we we’re told we should have? We’ve felt as if we didn’t belong. Or we weren’t good enough. Some of us have even felt like a failure.
Every one of us has experienced a negative feeling resulting from the traditional timeline of life.
We’ve felt shame for not having gone to college, for not having kids, for not being financially stable, for not owning a home and even, for not being married. For some of us, it keeps us from listening to our hearts or following our deepest desires because we’re afraid that we’ll be criticized or judged for not being like the others.
But truth be told, the traditional timeline of life is outdated and no longer fits into the society that we live in. So why do we continue to allow ourselves to be shamed by it’s outdated standards?
I suggest it’s time we stop.
Stop conforming to outdated standards and start creating purposeful lives that are filled with heart and fueled by our desires. So I have question to ask of you, if you woke up tomorrow with all the money in the world what would you want to do with your life? Who would you want to be?
That’s the person you need to be.
That’s the person you need to become.
Love yourself as you are, flaws and all. And then allow yourself to follow your own heart and not the voice of insecurity. That nasty little voice that prompts us to do the opposite of what our heart desires.
I know. Much easier said then done, right?
But here’s one important belief I’ve learned on this journey of life…. for most of our younger years we spend all of our time worried about what others will think and what they’ll say and we spend most of our older years not giving a fuck. We no longer worry about what others will think or say and we begin to live life on our own terms.
Girl, get OLD NOW.
Stop caring about what they want and start caring about what you want.
Stop worrying about what they’ll say or what they’ll think and spend more time living your life the way you want to live. When you can wholeheartedly live and breathe in this space then you’ll be happier and living your best life.
But if you’re still not on board with throwing away the timeline here’s a little breakdown for you.
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The timeline wastes time as we spend more time listening to what we think we should be doing and less time doing what we want to do.
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The timeline prompts us to judge and the #1 reason why people judge is because they're insecure themselves.
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The timeline is OUTDATED. It no longer fits into the society that we live in.
So don’t allow yourself to be judged by your crazy grandmother or your aunt Susan. Believe it or not, everyone doesn’t go to college. Some people don’t ever get married. And some of those who are never married will have children. Your life will not end at 30 if you’re not married with children. It will go on. You may even be happier, having not settled in a loveless relationship just so you could move through the timeline.
Look around you. Life has CHANGED. However, what has not changed is the stupid outdated timeline that still placates our minds. So let go of the voice of insecurity and learn to listen to the voice that exists deep, down inside. That’s the voice that tells you something is wrong. That’s the voice that tells you to chase your dreams. That’s the voice that pushes you to all the places no one goes.
By following your own heart you’ll undoubtedly find happiness. So take it slow and move at your own pace. Remember, at the end of the day the only one who’s going to look back at your life is you.
You define your life, not some outdated timeline.
With all my heart,
Melissa