The one decision to stop feeling like you’re behind in life

Read time: 2.5 minutes

These days, it’s hard not to feel like you’re falling behind sometimes.

Behind in your career.

Behind financially.

Behind in building a life that feels the way you hoped it would.

I’ve noticed something about the times in life when I felt the most behind.

It wasn’t because I wasn’t doing enough.

In fact, I was often working harder than ever, trying to hit some milestone I’d decided would prove I was “on track.”

Saving more money. Climbing the next rung in my career. Growing the business faster.

But no matter how much progress I made, there was always this quiet voice in the back of my mind:

“You should be further along by now.”

Maybe you’ve heard that voice too.

The one that insists you’re running out of time.

That everyone else is ahead.

That you’ll never quite catch up.

I used to think the answer was to keep pushing.

Set bigger goals. Move faster.

If I just worked hard enough, I thought I’d finally close the gap between where I was and where I should be.

But eventually, I realized the problem wasn’t my pace.

It was the comparison itself.

I was measuring my life against timelines I’d absorbed without ever questioning them.

Some of them belonged to other people—friends, coworkers, people I’d never even met.

Some of them were old expectations I set years ago, back when I didn’t know as much about who I am or what I want.

And every time I looked at those timelines, I felt smaller.

Less capable.

Less worthy.

It took me a long time to understand that feeling behind isn’t proof you’ve failed.

It’s just a sign you’ve been using the wrong story to measure your worth.

When I finally stepped back and asked myself, “Who says I have to be anywhere by now?” something shifted.

I started to see how arbitrary so many of those timelines were.

How much energy I spent trying to keep up—and how little peace it gave me.

That’s when I made the one decision that changed how I think:

To stop letting timelines—mine or anyone else’s—define whether I was enough.

Because no matter how fast you move, there will always be another milestone waiting.

Another reason to feel behind.

Another voice telling you you’re late.

But you don’t have to live that way.

When you start measuring your progress by whether you’re moving toward what matters to you—not how quickly you get there—everything feels different.

Calmer.

More honest.

More yours.

A simple question worth asking

If you’re tired of feeling behind in life, maybe it’s time to ask yourself:

What timeline have I been measuring my worth against?

And more importantly:

What would it feel like to let it go?

Your next steps

Here’s something simple you can do right now:

Grab a notebook and write down what success looks like to you today.

Not five years ago.

Not compared to anyone else.

Right here. Right now.

Because when you define success on your terms, you discover you were never really behind at all.

You were just measuring by the wrong story.

Keep your head up, my friend.

P.S. If you’d like more support redefining your path and building a life that feels true to you, take a look inside Clarity Lab. It’s where I share deeper guidance, workshops, and community to help you stay anchored to what matters most.