June gloom reset: If you’re feeling behind this summer, this is the reminder that helped me. Behind only exists if there’s a map you’re supposed to be on. And while all your best friends might have similar maps, it doesn’t mean that it was meant to be yours too. I was lucky I never had pressure from my parents on what timelines are supposed to look like, but that meant that I often looked at what my friends were doing to make sure I was stying on track or doing the right thing…but then in my late 20s that suddenly meant that I was feeling behind and not on track….but I was following a road map that wasn’t meant to be mine. The second I stopped trying to hit checkpoints every year on what my life was supposed to look like and how it wasn’t, the panic lessened. Every year I see so many reasons why it makes sense that things have played out the way they have. Some things still don’t, but that’s not a problem to solve for today. All I know is the panic of falling behind has dissipated the older I get, not gotten stronger and that’s a relief. There’s no pace to keep. there’s no one ahead of you. there’s just you, which is the only way life was ever going to happen anyway. Follow @monicawoodhams where I’m sharing how I’m building my own roadmap in my 30s, one decision at a time. come figure yours out too Life in your 30s, living in Washington DC, dc in your 30s, feeling behind in your 30s