Age vs. Achievement Stigma

OMG, You’re 30, unmarried, no kids, not sure what you want to do with your life, and now another birthday is approaching and you want to run and hide. Ummmm, can we all just take a minute and STOP looking at what we “haven’t” done and start looking at what we HAVE accomplished? Why are we always feeling pressure to keep up with other people? Or even keep up with the plan we created in High School. I mean, did we realize then how hard breakups are? Or how finding a position that feels right may take a few failed attempts?

The achievement by a certain age stigma seems to send us spiraling no matter how old or young we are. What can you do to stop the spiraling?

Determine the Importance

First, find out what is truly important to you now. Do you want to be married? Do you want to start a profitable business that makes you excited to go to work each day? It’s ok to want both, but prioritize them so you can clearly see the direction you are going. You need to pour your energy into your goals to get results. Some of the items on your old list might've expired. Now that you’re older and wiser, re-prioritize and set attainable goals. Having a mansion, 4 kids, a dog, cat, nanny and dreamy husband by 30 might’ve been a bit of stretch considering you’ve been prioritizing building your business empire for the past 5 years. Get the picture?

Take a Minute

Please, take a minute and write down how much you’ve accomplished already. Sometimes this list goes out the window when we start spiraling and thinking we’ve amounted to nothing. Perhaps you’ve finished college, traveled to 7 countries, maybe you’ve surrounded yourself with the most supportive group of friends, or created a large professional network. Write it all down and remind yourself how incredible you are!

Take off the pressure

At some point, you decided to prioritize one thing over another. Be ok with that. In that moment, trust that it was the right thing to do. Move on or make a plan to work harder on the things you were neglecting. It’s good to bring these goals back into the light, see if they're still relevant and work towards them if they are.

At the end of the day, it’s just a number. Be happy with your path and process. If you need some support goal setting, send me a note.  I would love to support you on your path to building your biz or finding the mansion, four kids, dog, cat, and the man of your dreams.  

-Yours in the Hustle-