20/09/2024
We’ve been sold a lie: that life peaks in your early twenties, that everything after 30 is a slow decline. But who decided that youth is the ultimate measure of success or beauty? The obsession with staying young, looking young, and achieving everything by 25 is toxic, unrealistic, and suffocating. For some of us, life doesn’t truly begin until much later. Maybe we spent our teenage years battling trauma, healing from wounds others can’t see, or simply figuring out who we are. We’re expected to have it all together by an arbitrary age, and when we don’t, the world acts like we’ve missed our shot.
But here’s the truth:
Life doesn’t end at 30-it barely begins. This fixation on youth is damaging not just to older people, but to the young as well. It creates pressure to be perfect while you’re still growing, to achieve goals before you even understand what they mean. And for what? To fit into a box that doesn’t reflect the complexities of real life? Fetishizing youth tells young people their value is fleeting and tells older people their worth has an expiration date. It ignores the fact that growth, wisdom, and fulfillment can happen at any stage. We don’t all get the same start. Some of us lose years to survival-healing, recovering, rebuilding. Are we less deserving of joy, love, and success just because our timeline looks different? Absolutely not.
It’s time we redefine what it means to truly live. Life is not a race, nor is it limited by the ticking of a clock. If you didn’t reach your goals by 25, so what? If you’re finding love, passion, or purpose in your 30s, 40s, or beyond, you’re not late-you’re exactly where you need to be.
Let’s knock off the ridiculous idea that youth is the only time to shine.
Life doesn’t wait for anyone, but it also doesn’t cut you off just because you didn’t “get it right” in your early years. Stop chasing the illusion of perfect timing. Your life, no matter the age, is worth celebrating.