Over the past year, I’ve been no stranger to a quarter-life crisis. In fact, I’ve often repeated the phrase “Everyone is getting married/having babies/buying houses!” in blind panic to my very laid-back boyfriend who simply tells me not to worry about future and just live for now.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m in no hurry to do any of the above. Marriage is something that I won’t consider until I’m in my thirties and I’m not even sure if I want children. As for buying property, who knows. I’m in no rush to make such a commitment. I’m not quite ready to swap city breaks for curtain shopping. My weekends are about wining and dining, mani/pedi’s, blow dries, shopping, fun trips away and then planning the next one. Not redecorating the living room or fretting about loft insulation.
However, I’ve still worried. Worried that I’m not on the right track. Worried that I’ll be left behind when I’m out of energy for adventures and my peers have just celebrated their ten year wedding anniversaries. I know plenty of people who wanted to get married and settle down with a family since they left school and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. But I never envisioned that life for myself. I always wanted a good job, stability and a lifestyle which allowed me to enjoy myself as much as possible. Spend time with my loved ones. Write about things I’m interested in. Visit different places. Experience new things.
And shortly after turning 26 last week, I realised that I’m doing just that. I’ve just landed a new job in marketing with a very good pension and opportunities to progress. I get to spend time with the people I care most about on a regular basis. I’ve had amazing opportunities from this blog and get paid to write about things I love, I’ve been to a few different places including Brussels, Bruges, Amsterdam, Paris and will hopefully be visiting a couple more cities before 2015 is out. I’ve learned a lot about my skills, abilities, strengths and weaknesses. I feel like I know who I am and who I want to become.
Sure, I don’t have marriage, kids and houses on the brain. But that’s not what I want anyway. So I’ve turned my back on my quarter-life crisis and worrying about where I ‘should’ be at or what I ‘should’ be doing. I’m just going to enjoy life as it comes.