You’re Not Late: Life Goals, Timelines, and the Myth of Falling Behind
Somewhere along the way, we were sold a story.
A timeline.
By 18, you should know what you want to be.
By 22, you should be chasing your dream job.
By 30, you should be established.
And every step after that? You better keep up, or you’ll be “behind.”
But here’s the truth:
You’re not late. You’re not behind. You’re right on time — your time.
🚫 The Lie of the Timeline
We live in a world full of artificial and arbitrary deadlines.
Graduate by this age. Get married by that age. Launch the career. Buy the house. Start the family. Be amazing at all of it — and do it fast.
But not everyone’s journey is linear. In fact, very few are.
Comparison is the thief of joy — a truth often attributed to Theodore Roosevelt, but echoed by countless thinkers and creators since. In her book Untamed, Glennon Doyle writes,
“You are not here to be small, efficient, or compliant. You are here to burn things down and rise up.”
But how can we rise up if we’re too busy measuring ourselves against someone else’s highlight reel?
🌱 Evolving at Your Own Pace
The most powerful thing you can do for your future is give yourself grace in the present.
Brianna Wiest, in her book The Mountain Is You, reminds us that transformation often comes in seasons. That the “delay” we sometimes feel is not punishment — it’s preparation.
“The mountain is what stands in your way, and the mountain is also the way.”
Life is not a checklist. Growth doesn’t happen on a strict schedule. And rushing into something just because society says you should is a recipe for burnout, regret, or a life that doesn’t feel like yours.
🧠 What Happens When We Rush
When we force ourselves to fit a timeline, we often sacrifice the things that matter most:
Authenticity
Alignment
Joy
Mental health
Ourselves
We take jobs that aren’t right, commit to paths that don’t light us up, or chase milestones that belong to someone else. And then we wonder why we feel so disconnected.
As Mark Manson writes in The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fck*,
“You can’t be an important and life-changing presence for some people without also being a joke and an embarrassment to others. You just can’t.”
Translation: If your path doesn’t make sense to everyone, that’s probably a good thing.
💬 Let This Be Your Permission Slip
You can restart at 25.
You can begin again at 40.
You can change your dream, take your time, or walk away from a timeline that no longer fits.
There is no “too late” to live a life that feels like yours.
At The GRL Initiative, we believe in becoming. Not just achieving.
In rising strong — even if it takes a few detours, some healing, and a whole lot of self-trust.
🖤 You Are Right on Time
So here’s what we’ll leave you with:
✨ Trust your pace.
✨ Stay close to your own voice.
✨ Let the timelines go.
✨ You are not behind. You are becoming.
Let the world race. You don’t have to.
Let joy guide you — not the pressure to be somewhere else.
Your life is not late. It’s unfolding. And it’s going to be beautiful.
—
– The GRL Initiative
✨ Recommended Reading & Thought Leaders:
Untamed by Glennon Doyle
The Mountain Is You by Brianna Wiest
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fck* by Mark Manson
What I Know for Sure by Oprah Winfrey
Atomic Habits by James Clear (on systems vs. goals)
Radical Acceptance by Tara Brach
