Hiii! It’s my last few hours of being twenty-six and we know what that means, birthday post!!! Hehe! I’m currently in Hong Kong for work and this has been the most “adult” I’ve ever felt. Okay fine, this is also, as of writing, the oldest I’ve been – duh -, but yeah. A complete 180 from 4 years back which Facebook Memory was kind enough to remind me.
You see, a few days before turning 23, I was feeling bummed with how my life was progressing. I was feeling unaccomplished and like I wasn’t really going anywhere. It’s funny how life drastically changed just a few months after. Don’t get me wrong, I still question if I’m living it right from time to time and I admit that I still haven’t reached the level of accomplishment I had been yearning for back then; but now I know better than to compare myself with others. Cliche as it is, the only one I need to par myself with is the person I was yesterday.
Through the years, I learned to stop measuring my achievements with that of my peers. As much as I would love to lead their #instaworthy lives, I recognize and respect the difference in our paths and struggles. Rarely, if even ever, are we dealt the exact same hand. We make do of what we have, we go after what we want, we face our personal challenges, and we reap our own results. There is no objective “one right way” of living a good life. It goes without saying, I also learned to not be so hard on myself. To, tough as it may, not take failure personally and permanently, and to get back up when I stumble. To celebrate small victories and acknowledge how far I’ve come.
Life isn’t always going to go the way you want it. As much as you try to steer it, sometimes the waves are just too powerful. Circumstances change, luck turns; life will always surprise you. Bad things happen to good people. Good people do bad things. Trust that the heart of life is good. Don’t be afraid to live out your dream. Remember to always be kind. Treasure every moment and make every minute count. Believe in yourself and work on yourself. Open yourself up to opportunities and try things first before deciding if it’s not for you. And the yearly Neil Gaiman wish:-
I’m looking forward to the coming year – rain and sunshine and all. ☀︎
I agree, you can't compare your life to others. The only person you need to beat is yourself from yesterday. Become a better person than you were yesterday. Because we don't live the same lives. Especially in the internet, most, if not all, are filtered. Only the good times are shown most of the time. So if they're having a good day and you're not, don't fret, you'll get your own good day soon.
Also, instead of counting what you haven't accomplished yet, be thankful of the things you have already accomplished. Besides, it's a great blessing to be still alive at 26. I don't get why other people get sad when they age. Shouldn't be thankful they're given another year to live?