10 Things You Need To Remember If Your Life Isn’t Turning Out The Way You Thought It Would

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1.  You owe nothing to your younger self. You are not responsible for becoming the person you once thought you’d be. 

2. You don’t have the things you once wanted them because you don’t want them anymore. Something else took precedence.

3. Instead of focusing on what you think the summary of your life sounds like to other people, focus on what you’ve learned. If you kept going the way you are now, who would you be in five years?

4. You will never be able to correctly predict what’s going to happen in your life. It will never look the way you think it should. This does not matter one bit.

5. What does matter is whether or not you’re going to let yourself choose what you want today. Right now. Tomorrow. Next week.

6. Your core desires exist in the present, not in an idea of the future. If you’re not connected to who you are today, it makes sense that you’d be caught up in what you thought you wanted in the past.

7. You’re most likely doing better than you think you are. Just because something isn’t what you thought it would be doesn’t mean it’s not perfectly, completely valid (or even better). 

8. Instead of focusing on what you think the summary of your life sounds like to other people, focus on what you’ve learned. If you kept on the way you are now, who would you be in five years?

9. If you’re really uncomfortable with your life, you probably need to change it. Rather than trying to fight off those feelings, come up with an action plan even if, at first, it’s just an anatomy of a disaster.

10. This moment is not your life. It is a moment in your life. You won’t remember most of the details of today by even just next week. This moment does not define you, and likely won’t even matter eventually. It will pass. Keep moving. Thought Catalog Logo Mark

January Nelson is a writer, editor, and dreamer. She writes about astrology, games, love, relationships, and entertainment. January graduated with an English and Literature degree from Columbia University.

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