There was a time when I felt like I was the only one standing still while everyone else was moving forward. You know that feeling — when you scroll through social media and see friends hitting every milestone: promotions, engagements, moving into dream apartments, traveling the world. And there you are, wondering if you missed some secret memo on how life is supposed to go.
It’s hard not to compare. Hard not to wonder if you’re behind, if you’re stuck, if you’re just not enough.
But here’s what I’ve come to understand: life isn’t a checklist that everyone follows in the same order. Your timeline is your timeline — it’s sacred and it’s unique. And sometimes, it asks you to slow down, to pause, to sit with yourself in ways that don’t look glamorous or exciting to the outside world. Sometimes, it’s about healing, about learning, about shedding parts of yourself that no longer serve you. And that’s not something you can rush.
I used to think success and happiness were these shiny things you had to grab as fast as possible, before someone else did. But what I’ve realized is that glowing up — the real kind, the deep kind — happens when you’re ready. When you’ve done the internal work, when you know who you are beyond the noise and the expectations. That kind of glow-up isn’t just about how you look or what you have; it’s about how you feel when you wake up, when you look in the mirror, when you choose yourself again and again.
It’s okay to move at your own pace. It’s okay if your story looks different than others’. Maybe your friends are sprinting while you’re walking. Maybe they’re in a race and you’re on a journey. Neither is better or worse — it’s just different.
Sometimes, I remind myself that every part of the process — every pause, every question, every setback — is preparing me for what’s next. It’s the groundwork for the life that feels truly mine. The life that isn’t borrowed or copied from someone else’s highlight reel.
So if you’re feeling like you’re behind, or like your dreams aren’t happening fast enough, I want you to know this: you’re not late. You’re exactly where you need to be. Your timing is perfect. The universe isn’t in a rush because it knows you’re growing into something bigger than you can see right now.
And while you wait — be kind to yourself. Celebrate the small wins that no one else notices. Appreciate the quiet strength it takes to keep going even when it feels like nothing’s happening. Because those moments? They’re the real magic. The foundation of the glow-up that will last.
Trust your pace. Trust your process. And trust that when you show up for yourself with patience and love, everything else will follow.
You’re glowing up on your own time. And that’s something worth celebrating.
You got this,
-Maison L.