This week I turned 35, officially the age where my 20-year plans I made in high school should have been realized. I remember sitting in a classroom at 15 years old being asked to decide where I expected my life to be at an age that seemed so far away. In my mind I would be a news anchor or actress settled into a career while balancing motherhood.
Despite completing a bachelor’s and master’s programs, I arrived in my 30s feeling trapped with a degree I didn’t love. Gradually, I came to realize that the “trap” I was in was a simple limitation that I had set on myself. I’ve now learned that we are never trapped. Life can be flexible, we can (and should) make changes and chase new dreams at any age.
So here I am at 35, nowhere near where I thought I would be and THAT IS OK! By letting go of plans and opening doors to new possibilities life can be full of beautiful surprises.
Here are 5 reasons why it’s ok to make big changes at any age:
Timelines Are Unnecessary Pressure
From a young age, we are made to believe that there is a timeline we should all live by. We should graduate, get married, have kids, work, and retire. These timelines are a one-size-fits-all approach, but they don’t account for the bumps in life. Many times the pressure of a timeline makes us feel we are falling behind. In reality, everyone’s journey is so different. We want to make a life that is unpredictable fit a schedule, which is ultimately setting us all up for disappointment.
We can’t plan for love, hardships, or loss. Some of us may get pregnant before we planned or take longer to expand our families than we anticipated. Some people find love early in life while others way later. Some people lose family members long before it seems right. Some startups strike gold the first time and others the fifth. There are too many variables in life to let a one-size-fits-all timeline make us feel as if we are not where we should be at any certain age. So set goals but be prepared to give yourself a lot of GRACE!
Interests Evolve
As we grow we evolve and we discover new interests so what is fulfilling now may not be the same 20, 30, 40, or 50 years down the road. It is easy to feel pressured to stay on a path, but remember that nothing has to be permanent. Choose a path you are passionate about and if that fades over time and you can’t find the joy again, transfer the skills you learned and apply them to a different path. You are never too old to start a new journey.
Your Future Job May Not Even Exist Yet
With technology constantly changing new opportunities will always arise. Thanks to the internet, opportunities that exist now weren’t even an option 20 years ago. Instagram didn’t even exist when I was in college and now my husband and I work as content creators and influencers. All of my years of marketing classes while getting a business degree didn’t once talk about influencer marketing and much of what I learned in those years already seems so outdated. Don’t stress about what you will be doing 10 or 20 years from now, because new opportunities you could never have fathomed may arise and be a better fit.
School Is An Asset But Not Everything
As mentioned above, merely 5 years after graduating, much of what I learned in marketing classes was outdated. Going to college teaches you a lot of amazing skills: how to meet deadlines, how to work in groups, and how to be self-motivated. For me, most of all it was a period of self-discovery and growth. The reality is, with the internet, much of what you need to learn for many jobs can now be done online. Obviously this doesn’t apply to all professions, but it applies to a vast amount of them. So if you decide you no longer love what you studied, you don’t always have to go back to school to switch paths. There are plenty of resources out there and ways to network in new fields that switching careers is easier than ever before.
Priorities Change
Life is a roller coaster ride, but we have more control over our paths than we sometimes believe. Remember that decisions don’t have to be permanent. Take time every few months and ask yourself: “what fulfills you?” Is it financial success, helping others, having location independence, or having more time off for friends or family? Stop and truly ask yourself which area of life is most important to you and prioritize that! Ask your boss if you can work part time from home, be more involved with charitable efforts, or utilize that vacation time that you never take! Advocate for yourself and don’t be scared to request or make changes.
