BREAKING FREE

It starts as a whisper. that small, nagging voice in the back of your mind that asks “Is this what I’m supposed to do?” As the days go by, the whisper grows louder, turning into a relentless echo that’s hard to ignore. You scroll through social media, bombarded with milestones, graduation caps flying, job promotions celebrated, wedding photos captioned with “forever.” Everyone seems to have their lives mapped out, following the well-traveled path that society deems “successful.” And yet, here you are. Questioning, doubting, wanting different.

If you’ve ever felt the weight of societal expectations pressing down on you, you’re not alone. We’re told from a young age that life unfolds in a series of predictable steps. You graduate high school, go to college, land a stable job, get married, buy a house, have kids, retire. The world hands us this blueprint as if it’s the only way to live. But what happens when that blueprint doesn’t fit the person you’re becoming?

The truth is, the world is evolving. Opportunities that didn’t exist a decade ago are now flourishing. Traditional paths are no longer the only routes to fulfillment or success. Yet, the pressure to conform remains stubbornly strong. It’s easy to feel like you’re falling behind when you take a different road, as if pausing to figure out who you are is some kind of failure. But it’s not.

We’re taught to believe that our lives need to follow a linear trajectory, but growth is anything but linear. It’s messy, unpredictable, and beautiful. It’s in the moments when you decide to take a gap year instead of heading straight to college, when you leave a secure job to pursue a passion project, or when you realize that the life you’ve built no longer aligns with the person you’ve become. Growth is in the courage to start over.

Here’s the thing I have realized about being young. you have time. Society might try to rush you, to make you feel like every decision is permanent, but it’s not. You are allowed to change your mind. You’re allowed to decide that the dreams you once chased no longer fulfill you. You’re allowed to pivot, to learn, to unlearn, and to recreate yourself as many times as you need.

Every detour, every “wrong” turn, every moment of doubt is part of your journey. These experiences don’t define you, they shape you. They teach you resilience, self-awareness, and the invaluable lesson that it’s okay to not have it all figured out.

The pressure to follow social norms can feel suffocating, but remember, life isn’t a race. There is no single path to happiness or success. What matters is that you’re honest with yourself about what you want. Not what’s expected of you, not what looks good on paper, but what genuinely fulfills you.

So, take the leap. Switch paths if you need to. Embrace the uncertainty. Let go of the need to fit into a mold that doesn’t serve you. The beauty of life is that it’s ever-changing, and so are you. Trust the process, and trust yourself. You’re not behind, you’re exactly where you need to be.