A Lil’ Reminder If You’re Not Where You Thought You’d Be

I’ve been thinking what to call this post over the past 24 hours and nothing sat just right, so I’ve settled on the above. If you’re feeling a bit stuck, lost or are having a bit of a panic thinking, ‘I thought my life would look different than it does now,’ then hello – I am too.

I’ve found myself thinking a lot lately about how I feel my life ‘should’ look by now. I ‘should’ have more money saved, I ‘should’ be moved out, I ‘should’ have the perfect job of my dreams… Do you catch my drift?

Being totally honest, I’ve panicked so much about my life and where I ‘should’ be now that it has kept me awake at night a few times. And a lot of it comes from comparing myself and my life to other people’s lives.

I compare myself to other women in their mid-twenties (although 23 is early twenties, right?) who are making their way to the top of their chosen career ladder, who have successful businesses, who live in a gorgeous Insta-worthy apartment with a cupboard full of mugs from Anthropologie.

Women who have made a difference in the world, who change people’s lives for the better, who have made a mark on their industry. Women who have travelled the world for two years with nothing but a bean in their pocket. Women who seemingly have their life all figured out… and then there’s me.

While I’m glad to say that I actually am content with how my life looks at the moment (although that might sound contradictory to what I’m saying), I’m not where I thought I’d be.

I’m 23 yet I worry and panic that if I haven’t been able to afford moving out or if I amn’t exactly where I want to be in my career by now, then I never will be. How ridiculous is that? I know my worries aren’t true or reasonable, yet I let them sit in the pit of my stomach, churning away.

Then, as I scrolled Pinterest a few weeks ago, a quote that I had seen before but never took much notice of stood out to me. ‘You are exactly where you’re meant to be.’  And the words have rung in my mind ever since.

I touched on this a while ago in an Instagram post, but recently I’ve come to realise that while you may not be where you where you think you want to be, life has a funny way of putting you exactly where you need to be.

I might not be where I thought I’d be at this stage in my life (earth to Amy, you’re only 23), but I’m actually pretty happy with where I am.

While I might not be exactly where I want to be in my career right now (business-owner/writer/journalist extraordinaire, if you’re wondering), that doesn’t mean that I never will be. Right now I’m focussing on growing my blog, like I wished I could for years, and I’m loving it.

While I might not be moved out into an open-plan apartment with cute cushions and candles aplenty, that doesn’t mean that I never will be. Right now I’m living in my lovely house with my lovely dad, and yano what? It’s pretty good.

I suppose what I’m trying to say is that we all put so much pressure on ourselves to achieve certain goals/milestones by certain ages, but there’s no age or time-limit to these things. Yeah, setting goals is great, but being where we are and enjoying the life we have is pretty damn great too.

Not everyone will agree, but I truly do believe that life/God/the universe/insert beliefs here puts you exactly where you’re meant to be, even if it’s not what you had planned. Reminding myself that I’m exactly where I’m meant to be in life has given me a lot of comfort, to be honest, and I hope it might for you too.

So if you’re feeling a bit stuck, lost or are having a bit of a panic thinking, ‘I thought my life would look different than it does now’, try to remember that life always has a way of working out exactly how it’s supposed to – even if there’s a detour or two on the way.

Plus, sometimes detours bring you to the most beautiful destinations. (Apologies for the cheese overload, I couldn’t resist!)