~
There
are so many things I'd love to shout from the rooftops for all teens
and young adults to hear, but if there's one thing that especially
hits home for me, it's this:
It's okay to be a late
bloomer.
You are
going to encounter many moments of feeling hopelessly behind in life.
You are going to compare yourself to other people in your age group
and feel tempted to treat life as a contest or a finish line you have
to pass in order to achieve happiness and success. You are going to
feel anxious, depressed, ashamed, and find more questions than
answers about the path that lies ahead of you. And believe it or not,
that's okay. That's normal.
I wish
I could go back and tell my younger self that everything is going to
be okay. I wish I could tell her that it's actually pretty weird to
be engaged, married, a parent, or a homeowner before the age of 25.
(Hell, maybe even a little after that age.) I wish I could tell her
that growing up sucks and she still has plenty more years to be
acceptably young and confused.
I wish
I could tell her that she will reach little milestones in life in her
own time and in ways that are unforgettable. Her first kiss won't be
with a boy who hasn't sprouted leg hair yet or the asshole she was
infatuated with in high school for some reason. It will be loving,
memorable, adorable, a little awkward, and worth every second of the
wait. She will experience first love and loss with a best friend who
will always care about her, not some guy who tossed her cheesy
pick-up lines and tried to get into her pants before getting into her heart. She won't get her driver's license when all the high
school beauty queens with rich dads get theirs. She will get it at
the same age Carey Mulligan got hers, and one of her best friends
will be there to witness the long-awaited triumph. She will spend the
first few years out of high school being a badass writer with her
name published all over the Internet and then get her first service
industry job when her skin has thickened enough to deal with hangry
people and grumpy co-workers. And she will have a positive attitude
and work hard because having her own money will be more of a
priority. She will grow up slowly, but be told on multiple occasions
that she's wise beyond her years.
Sometimes
life comes to us slowly and in smaller, unexpected doses. Time is a
thief, and we spend too much of it worrying about things that don't
matter. It doesn't matter who gets married or pops out a baby first.
It doesn't matter who finishes college or lands a dream job that
actually pays the bills first. It doesn't matter who falls in love or
has sex first. These things happen when they happen. Some people peak
early, and some people peak late. It's just life, and no one makes it
out alive anyway.
While
moving forward will always be important, you don't have to rush. Set
simple and achievable goals that will lead to the bigger and more
life-changing goals. Ask questions. Forge professional and creative
relationships. Learn as much as you possibly can. Stay in touch with
yourself, and know that it's okay to change paths, even when the one
you're on is all you've ever known. Wake up every morning and
consciously decide to put one foot in front of the other.
It's
okay to be a late bloomer – as long as you choose to bloom at all.
<3 Madison
Yes indeed!
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