There’s no exact timeline for having your shit together.

That’s the note I scribbled in my journal late one night this week. After a bout of writer’s block and life things that brought my brain power to a screeching halt, it was a welcome relief to finally have an idea to run with.

When we’re young, society teaches us what we are to expect in our life. We go to school until we’re about 18, go to college for four years, get a job, work our way up the corporate ladder, meet our soulmate, get married, have kids, work until we’re 70 and then retire (or don’t). 

As I sit scrolling through Instagram on my parent’s couch, nine months post college graduation, it can be tough to watch my former classmates scoring big-girl-money jobs, living independently in the big city, decorating their first apartments, getting serious with their boyfriends… starting the rest of their lives. At first, I felt resentful and envious. 

But then I realized, what’s the actual rush? I’m not on the exact same life route as they are. I took a side road, chasing my passions as I needed to for my self fulfillment. I’m my own person; who says I need to follow a cookie cutter design of how life should play out?! 

Following my college graduation, I decided to take an internship opportunity in Florence, Italy. After spending the spring semester of my junior year studying abroad, I knew in my heart that I needed to go back

I love music, but I pursued my passion for travel in Europe. I knew I’d someday be filled with regret if I didn’t take the leap of faith and fly alone to Italy to live and work with people I’d never met, in the hopes of getting out of my comfort zone and exploring new places.

And I don’t regret my decision for one second. I made new friends, spent countless days staring at the expansiveness of the Duomo, guided students all around Europe, and learned how to push my boundaries for the sake of growth. I can sleep upright on an overnight bus, I’m a pro in bedbug protocol (yeah, you won’t ever catch me saying that old “goodnight” phrase to my future children), and I am able to finesse my way into 10 euro flights to get to maximum places on a minimum budget. I have enough stories about the things I’ve seen and the people I’ve met to fill a book, and I was only overseas for three and a half months.

Yes, I would have been just fine if I stayed here and began the “typical” job hunt, but that would have been boring.

Did I start my climb to the top of music publicity right after I got my diploma? Nope. Do I feel slightly behind the 8-ball when it comes to starting to really “adult”? For sure. I’m still living in my college town/hometown and let me tell you, it’s not nearly as fun going out to the bar when you have a parent waiting up on you back at home (and there isn’t a Sunday common room debrief on the shenanigans of the night before). But I had the time of my life in Italy, and I know that the transition period is temporary.

So, maybe I won’t have my own apartment by my 24th birthday, and maybe I won’t be married with a kid on the way by age 30, and maybe I won’t become CEO by 40. But you know what? I’ll be living out my life exactly as the universe has planned it for me, for as long as I get to roam around this Earth. 

I’ll get to pursue my passion projects; I’ll feel the dirt of a million cities around the world under my feet; I’ll love the people close to me with all of my heart. 

I’ll be vulnerable and let down my walls to live the most authentic version of myself possible. 

The truth is, reality is SO much more grey than it is black and white. College isn’t for everyone, and that’s OK. You can work hard and be just as successful as someone with a degree. You can take ten years to finish getting your associate’s degree. You can switch careers fifteen times because you just haven’t found that one that motivates you to get up and out each day. There shouldn’t be a timeline on your success.

So wherever you are in life, know that you’re right where you’re supposed to be. What are we competing against one another for? Let’s face it, we’re all going to die someday. So we might as well do what we can to make the most of what we’ve got. Never forget to follow your spark and do what is best for you.

xo