When I was younger I would think of what I wanted to be. I never really gotten it figured out. Well, more accurately, I’ve never been able to narrow it down to any one thing. I’ve wanted to be a flight attendant, firefighter, nurse, work in agriculture or something to do with the environment, teach, and counsel others. One thing has always been true: I’ve always wanted to give back and help others.
I’ve not gotten to be half of the things I’ve wanted but I can put a check mark beside a few. What has not turned into a career has been tried in voluntary service or life experiences. There is still so much that I want to get involved with though. As I think about that, I’m wondering when that will all happen. I’ve seen other people, including some that are younger than me, who are full of life and out there doing things. Social media is filled with examples. For some of them, life seems wonderful and just a dream. Is life passing me by?
If you’ve ever been there and wondered the same thing even just for a second, let me help you. Stop! It’s not helpful for us to compare ourselves with others in that way. We each were born with our own purpose that only we can fulfill. We have our own lanes in life. You cannot be me and I cannot be you. I cannot walk in your shoes no matter how hard I try. You are special just the way you are and if you don’t like you then you can do something about it so you can become the ideal self you’ve envisioned.
So yes, it may look like others are jetting off to volunteer in some beautiful corner of the earth and helping fulfill a need. It may look like others are able to afford the house and the car and a vacation. True. But I don’t know what their lives really are like. I don’t know how they feel about themselves and their accomplishments. I have no idea what their struggles have been or that they are not even looking at my life and thinking it may not be glamorous but it’s definitely stable-looking and peaceful. I’ve worked hard for what I’ve got and made the choices I’ve thought were best. This is my life. What you have is your life. It’s not a race or even dress rehearsal. It’s the real deal. So let’s be thankful for what we have and what we can make it to be. Others are not passing us by. They’re just living their lives.
Let’s talk life. 
I’ve learned to take all those images of happy families, fulfilled careers and perfect lives that fill social media with a grain of salt. More importantly, I believe you are right: the life we are living is our life, and there’s nothing wrong with that. I don’t think we can judge our life by our accomplishments, or even by meeting a specific set of goals we set when we were young. As we age, our goals and opinions change. What’s important is to live in a way that we find meaningful, and to hope that in some small way, we are making a positive impact on the world. Great post!
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Thank you for your response and what you added. Goals and opinions do indeed change over time. So long as I’m doing what is right, I’ll continue to learn to appreciate and enjoy my life rather than judge myself by the image of other people’s lives. Thanks again.
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