There’s this one thought that keeps showing up lately.

It doesn’t scream. It just… lingers.

Usually during a meeting you’re half-listening to… or while folding laundry for the third time this week even though no one else in your house seems to know how to use a hamper.

“I should be further along by now.”

Further along in your career.

Further along financially.

Further along in figuring out what the hell you actually want.

It’s the kind of thought that comes wrapped in shame — like you missed a turn somewhere and now you’re too far off the map to catch up.

And it’s brutal, because from the outside? You’re doing fine.

You’re responsible. You’ve got the job, the experience, the matching set of Tupperware. Maybe even an air fryer you use sometimes.

But inside? You feel like you’re coasting. Drifting.

And not in a romantic, soul-searching kind of way. More like… your life is a PowerPoint you didn’t volunteer to make and somehow it’s already 37 slides long.

It’s easy to assume you’re behind.

Behind everyone on LinkedIn. Behind what your younger self imagined. Behind where you thought this job or this path or this life stage would lead.

But what if you’re not behind?

What if you’re just… waking up?

Noticing, finally, that climbing higher on a ladder you didn’t choose isn’t actually progress.

Noticing that the security you thought you had is a little shakier than you’d like.

Noticing that being really good at your job doesn’t mean you’re building anything for yourself.

So then the real question isn’t “Why am I not further along?”

It’s “What do I want to be moving toward?”

And if that answer looks like optionality, peace of mind, more income streams or the ability to turn down a job — or a boss — without panicking…

You’re in the right place. That’s the real work. That’s the unlearning. That’s where freedom starts to creep in.

So, what do you do with all this?

You stop trying to catch up.

You start where you are.

You give yourself permission to pivot.

You make one bold, imperfect move.

You build something small, on the side, just for you.

Not because it’s the perfect idea.

But because it’s yours.

No timeline. No hustle cult. Just one step that moves you forward.

Because “further along” doesn’t mean higher up the ladder.

It means more in control. More aligned. More at peace.

And that version of you? She’s not behind.

She’s just getting started.

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One Thing to Take With You:

What’s one thing you’ve wanted to try, build or explore that keeps getting pushed to “someday”?

Write it down. Say it out loud.

And then find one tiny way to start — this week.

Not because you’re behind.

But because you’re ready.