If You Feel Behind In Life, Read This

Spoiler alert: you’re not.

Since the dawn of my time, I’ve felt behind. In my personal life, relationships, career, school—if you can name it, I’m sure I’ve doubted myself with it.

I’ve been told it’s part of the human experience, that no one really knows what they’re doing (even if it seems like they do) and that I’m exactly where I need to be.

So why don’t I feel that way?

I’ve asked myself this question a thousand times. And truthfully, I still don’t have an answer. But what I can tell you is, even though you’ve heard it a hundred times before: You are exactly where you’re supposed to be.

There’s a path tailor-crafted in this world for you and you only. That may be why you’re feeling behind, because your path doesn’t look like his or hers or theirs—but that’s happening for a reason. You are a unique human being with unique traits and qualities making you up as a whole. Every experience, every cry, every laugh, every failed or successful relationship, every drive to work, every text sent, every conversation had, all of these things make up who you are and why people love you. You’re important, and because you exist, things are better. Ask any and all of your loved ones and I’m sure they’d agree. How do you view your loved ones? With passion, care, love? Exactly. Someone out there thinks that about you, too. And I can guarantee that absolutely no one is worried about your path. Everyone is worried about themselves.

Your path is yours. Their path is theirs. To compare the two is like comparing the sun and the moon. They both have two completely different purposes, yet without them both, we would cease to exist. (Or just be really, really cold.)

I have struggled with this mindset, though. Someone could repeat everything I’ve just told you until they were blue in the face, but it all changed for me when I started realizing that these are facts. Once I realized that my path isn’t someone else’s and that it doesn’t matter what people are thinking, I took comfort in that perspective. I took comfort in the fact that my story is my story and this is where I’m at right now and that’s okay. Each day I am learning about myself, and each day is a step closer to the person I already am. Every day isn’t perfect, but every day has a purpose, some big, some small, and that’s just one of the mere beauties of life.

If you are struggling with believing in yourself and that everything takes time, it’ll all work out—you’re not alone. With time and growth, anything is possible. Limiting yourself will hurt nobody but you.

There are a few ways I have achieved this mindset. One is by practicing affirmations. Each morning I write down my affirmations for the day in a designated affirmation journal. Every day. Once you begin to repeat the process, writing them down every morning, your brain then starts to believe it AND it’s a positive way to start off each day. With practice comes growth and with growth comes transformation, but ultimately, you need to believe in yourself for any of this to work. Don’t worry, it’s possible. It’s easily achievable and only takes five minutes maximum out of your entire 24 hour day. Easy peasy. It benefits you and your mindset in more ways than just one, and for not taking that much time out of your day, I say that’s a win-win.

One of my favorite affirmations to repeat to myself is the following: “I don’t chase. I attract. Whatever is meant for me will simply find me.”

If you don’t resonate with that affirmation, but you can’t think of your own, just Google or Pinterest affirmations and multiple results will come up. Once you start reading others’ affirmations, you might even be able to come up with a few on your own, tailoring to your personal experiences and what you’re currently going through or want to work towards. There is so much power in affirmations and manifesting as you’re actively teaching yourself to believe in your power and attract only good into your life.

Bottom line, it’s important to be your own best friend. The only person you will have forever is yourself, so it’s more than worth putting in the time and effort to change your self-talk and the way you view yourself. You are exactly where you’re supposed to be. The better friends you become with yourself along the way, the more positivity you will see enter your life.

I’ll end with this. Always appreciate every feeling you ever have. Whether it’s good, bad, or in-between, each feeling is guiding you to the person and the place you are meant for. Trust your journey, it’s the right one. Appreciate the little things. Love the rain as much as you love the sun. And remember that everything happens for a reason.

You will get there. You have time. You are exactly where you are supposed to be.