Society often sets invisible deadlines for success—by your 30s, you should have a great career; by your 40s, you should be financially secure; by your 50s, you should be enjoying the fruits of your labor. But life doesn’t always go according to plan, and many people in middle age feel like they’re behind or that they haven’t accomplished what they thought they would. How do you cope with that?
Kum KumEnlightened
and then
Oh man, that thought used to keep me up at night. I’d look at people I went to school with, see their fancy titles or businesses, and wonder if I had wasted time. But here’s what I learned—the comparison game is never fair because we only see the highlight reel of others, not their struggles. I started looking at success differently. Instead of measuring it by status or money, I asked myself: Do I take care of my family? Do I have people who genuinely care about me? Have I learned and grown over the years? When I framed it that way, I realized I had achieved more than I gave myself credit for. And if there’s still more I want? Well, I remind myself—it’s never too late.