Growing up in a world where you are to pick your career at 18, go straight into college, finish a degree, and get a career in that field, there is a lot of pressure to have a straight and narrow path to follow for your life. For me, the pressure never really came from family. It was more of myself and comparing myself to others. I would look at girls who had competed the bachelors degree in 4 years and found an amazing job right out of college, and that drove me to want to follow in their footsteps.
Being driven is great, but where this mindset really seemed to trip me up is when I’m 24 years old, I have the degree, the job, the husband, the baby, the dog, and a house but that constant want for more. A vary hard lesson for me to learn (and continue to still work through) is that I am only 24 years old with all these blessings in my life. Yes, I currently live paycheck to paycheck but that’s ok. I’m working on getting rid of debt, I tithe, and when I can I save.
I have to remind myself to step back and look at the big picture. Only 2 years ago I graduated from college. I am very early on in my career. I cannot expect myself to have a huge savings account and buy my dream house. I am beyond blessed with what I have and I have “extra” things. I am doing just fine for myself at the point of life I’m at. I, honestly, have to talk myself through this to remind me that I will not feel financially stable until probably 30’s. It takes time and I cannot rush into things.
When I have this mindset of needing to have it all right now, I find myself not really taking in the events and people who are currently in my life but constantly looking towards the future. I have to realign my goals to not have my forever home until probably 35. I won’t be making my salary goal until around that time too.
For me, I’m ok with these things as long as I think through it logically and come up with a plan to accomplish these goals. I have to set my mind on a new timeline and I will be just fine.