As young adults, have you ever noticed that there is so much conversation and pressure around what we’re supposed to do with our lives? We grow up with the notion that we’re supposed to go to college, get a job, meet someone, get married, buy a house, and have children. Check, check, check check, right down the list.

It’s a beautiful thing to watch the people we love hit these milestones and be there to celebrate with them, and while those are all things we may want to do eventually, you don’t have to rush them.

I am constantly asked when I think he’ll propose or getting judgement for saying I’d like to move into the city and rent for a few years before buying a house. As young adults, we get bombarded with these types of questions and judgement. It’s easy to feel like we’re doing something wrong for not adhering to these societal norms, and more often than not we unintentionally put pressure on each other. 

Often times these questions are just a simple way to spark up a conversation. While we can answer politely and move on, the truth is that these questions stick with us; they make us think harder about what we’re doing and almost feel ashamed for not having a more wholesome answer.  This reaction should not be the reason we buy a house or put a ring on it. 

It is easy to fall susceptible to societal pressures without even realizing we’re doing it. But my whole point here? DON’T.

Let’s stop putting pressure on each other to check things off this imaginary list. If the thought of marriage gives you a knot in your stomach, you’re not ready. If you are paying off debt and can’t afford a mortgage, don’t buy a house.  If you prefer travel and experience over things, don’t be ashamed of it.

Savor each part of your life and don’t rush through it to the next step. Someday, we will look back on the life we live now and yearn for it.  I want to remember the basement in-law apartment and smile, remembering how it served as home base to our constant travels. I want to collect experiences that I can look back on, remembering each place I visit and how it felt being there. I don’t want to look back on life and regret rushing into anything I wasn’t ready for. 

So ditch those societal norms and stop trying to fit into a mold that wasn’t made for you. If your career is your baby and climbing the ladder is your top priority, who has the right to tell you that’s wrong?

You want to move to London for two years to work for a new company? Have at it.

Want to go back to school to finish that degree in your 30’s? Go wild.

Dream of buying an RV and traveling the country for a year? Send Pics.

At the end of the day it’s your life and the only person deciding how it’s lived should be you.