I always wanted to know where other people were in life when they were 25. I use to compare my life to theirs.  I thought I was behind on everything. From moving out of the nest to starting the career I had a passion for. I probably even pressured the people around me to do my motto “Do Better” because I see the potential in everyone, especially the people of my age group. I’m glad someone took the courage to ask the same burning question to over 100 people.

Recently, I passed the mid-quarter life crisis and I can honestly say I was content with where I was in life. I do have debt, student loans, bills, and a bank account that can deplete after seven transactions, but I’m not freaking out yet. It’s all because I understand your twenties are the years of lessons learned and mistakes. Sometimes I do feel I should be in a place where I already own two houses, a mid-level position, and have my master’s degree; but that’s just the Instagram feed talking.

We put so much pressure and the perspective of everyone’s life on ourselves, we’re not realizing it’s taking baby steps to grow an abundant life. Nothing is overnight, even though it looks like it when you see people you’ve gone to school with or use to work with go through the path you wanted. Just remember: you don’t know what that person went through to get it where they are now.

Appreciating where you’ve come from and where you are now is growth. You might not see in within the years but if you really think about your mindset today and how you thought about life 5 years ago, you’ve grown up. We all haven’t realized this and that’s fine. Maybe our clothes sizes will let us know.

So what do I say to someone who’s in their quarter-life crisis? Relax, explore, and enjoy. I say this as a means to not worry but continue to work hard on your goals and believe you will surpass those and make better, challenging goals. There are levels everyone looks to reach, but you can always create your own. As the elders would say, enjoy the age you are now, you won’t get a rewind.

Want to learn more about the quarter-life crisis? Check out this article from Forbes!