First of all, I want you to know that if you’re feeling left behind by your friends, peers, or relatives, you are not alone, even if you feel like you are.
Feeling left behind is not a delightful feeling, and it will never be.
You might be thinking that no matter what you do, you’ll always be one to two steps behind the people you used to be with.
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Their social media updates sometimes make you feel like their life is happier than yours. They are unlocking achievements in their careers or study, buying a new car, getting married, or having glow-up transformations.
You’ll be looking at yourself and start thinking, “how about me?” Suddenly, you feel like you have nothing. You’ll feel like with all those periods of time you spend, not a single progress is happening.
Comparison is the thief of joy
As cheesy and cliche as it sounds, it is always true that comparison kills joy and contentment in your own life.
Most of the time, we’re feeling left behind because it’s too easy to compare ourselves and our achievements to others especially nowadays. But you need to understand that there is always something unique in you.
You can’t compare two different things.
You see, it is impossible to compare the color pink to the color purple. They have a different feel and they serve a very different role.
The same goes for you as a person, you can’t just compare yourself to others.
The culture we have made us believe that there is a formula in living. For instance, after graduating from college, you’ll need to have a high-paying job, get married, and build a happy family. Sounds familiar, right? Well, I hate to break it to you but the truth is, you have your own path.
I don’t know about you but I think, knowing that we have the power to live our lives in our own phase makes life more interesting.
Accept where you are
We’re feeling left behind because we think when other people achieve great things in life, we should achieve those too.
When you learned that your friend got A+ grades, got accepted into a prestigious university, is currently in a happy romantic relationship, you’ll later realize that you’re being left behind because you don’t have those things. You think you should also accomplish big things in life to feel belong and to feel on track in life.
I’m here to tell you that you are already doing enough if no one else told you that today.
Accept where you are because you are where you’re meant to be. As much as possible, celebrate every milestone. Drop the high expectations you set for yourself. Let go of all the “should” and start defining your own success.
You are the writer of your own story
Remember this if you’re feeling left behind, you have the power to write your own story. Other people have their own story too. In other words, you are not left behind, you are walking on your own path.
Knowing who you are and what you want in life will help you design your own story and overcome feeling left behind.
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That’s why Cresentella is all about self-discovery and being who you are. I’ve also created a few different resources to help you get to know yourself better. One of them is this workbook packed with exercises and handouts to discover yourself. Check it out here if you’re interested.
I hope this post reminds you that no matter where you are in your life right now, there’s no need for you to start feeling left behind because you’re already doing enough.
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Jocelyn is a coffee lover who believes that a bad day with coffee is better than a good day without it. You can find her obsessing over stationery, hanging out with her cat, or singing her favorite Taylor Swift songs.