1. Who cares what everyone else is doing—worry about you.

2. Comparison will get you nowhere.

3. Comparison is the thief of all joy.

4. The only person you should compare yourself to is you—the you of yesterday and the you you hope to be tomorrow.

5. You have no idea what’s going on in their life, so don’t start spinning ideas of perfection when you’re not sure what happens behind closed doors.

6. You “think” you want their life, but do you want their bills, their responsibilities, and to take on what keeps them up at night?

7. Everyone has something that they worry about, no matter how perfect they may seem.

8. Perfection is a social construct—you can create your own version of what perfect means.

9. Success is a construct—you can create your own version of what success means.

10. Worrying about everyone else’s life is a waste of energy, and it’s energy that you can be pouring into making your own life what you want.

11. There is a difference between worrying about your friend and envying your friend—recognize it.

12. You are not your friends, so stop trying to conform yourself to fit into their life mold.

13. There is no mold for you—celebrate the things that make you who you are.

14. Thank goodness there isn’t a mold for you.

15. If you are indeed a mess, fixating on what you think is someone else’s perfect life will not make you any more put together.

16. There is no timeline for love, so stop forcing one upon yourself.

17. There is no timeline for career success, so stop forcing one upon yourself.

18. Just because those you know got married doesn’t mean you have to get married, too.

19. Just because those you know had children doesn’t mean you have to have children, too.

20. Just because those you know bought a home doesn’t mean you have to buy a home, too.

21. It’s okay to rent if home ownership is not your thing or right for you.

22. If you don’t want children, please don’t let anyone bully you into having them; parenthood should always be your decision.

23. Settling for love just for the sake of getting married is one of the saddest ideas in this world, and you don’t have to do that to yourself.

24. This life is a journey, not a race.

25. You get to decide who to bring with you on this journey; you get to determine how fast or slow to go, too.