In this day and age where social media is an everyday part of our lives, it’s not unheard of to post about certain aspects of our own lives and to get a glimpse inside the lives of others.

When it comes to social media (because we know we have a following of people watching or reading) we tend to only post the good moments and the highlights of our lives. Because of this, it’s so easy to become discouraged when you see the highlights of other people’s lives and begin to compare them to yours. You may start to feel like you should be further in life than you are when you compare yourself to someone your age who you see is doing more.

But we need to stop doing this.

We often see people posting their lavish lifestyles on social media. A girl your age just bought the car of your dreams or a guy you know just became a homeowner. We see people vacationing out of the country and living life to the fullest, while we seem to be stuck, struggling, and frustrated. We question where we went wrong with our own lives that prevented us from having one like theirs.

One source of unhappiness comes from the idea that other people’s lives are easier or better than yours. You have to realize that no matter how fabulous, happy, or extravagant someone’s life may seem on the outside, you never know what’s going on behind closed doors. You’re simply on the outside looking in. You don’t know what it took for that person to get where they are, what it cost them, or any sacrifices they had to make. Don’t ever be jealous of someone because, at one point, they could have been in your same predicament. They ultimately could have even had it worse than you do.

You cannot base your life and success off of what someone else is posting on their social media or what you see them doing in their own life. Stop comparing your chapter 4 to someone else’s chapter 15. Everyone has their own pace in life and you need to understand and appreciate your journey. Just because you aren’t where you want to be at the moment, doesn’t mean you won’t get there at all. Trust the process and be patient. Your hardships will ultimately make you appreciate your accomplishments more.

We also have to STOP putting a timeline on our life. You have a full life to live and putting a time constraint on certain things only makes life more stressful. Success doesn’t have a deadline. I often hear people say things like, “I need to be married by 26,” or “I need to be this far in my career by 30.”

Giving yourself a timeframe to achieve certain things is not how your life should be. Realize that things will happen when they are supposed to and that the best things in life take time! You should never feel like you failed because you haven’t accomplished something by a certain age. An accomplishment is an accomplishment, whether it’s when you’re 25 or 35.

This life is yours and nobody else’s. Live for YOU and give yourself the time you need to achieve your dreams. Don’t pay attention to where other’s may be in their race. You have your own race to win and must complete it at your own pace. Good luck!