Reminder: It’s Okay if You Don’t Have Your Life Together

Maybe it’s because I’m going through a minor quarter-life crisis, but lately I’ve been trying to get my life together. You can probably relate. Maybe you visualize yourself getting that promotion at work, those top grades at school, that cute boy/girl who turns out to be your soulmate. Maybe you see something on social media and think “If I had that/did that/thought that….everything would be perfect.”

In general, talk to any millennial or even Gen-Zer and ask them how it’s going. Most of the time they’ll say, “I’m just trying to get my sh*t together.” 

If you’ve gone through (or are going through) this stage of life, it probably looks something like this:

1. You have a folder of apps on your phone meant to track your success and habits.
2. You spend a lot of time on social media, comparing yourself to others (particularly lifestyle bloggers) and trying to figure out where you went wrong.
3. Every other book you pick up is either self-help or escapist fantasy so that you can pretend that you either have your life together or you’re making progress.

Been there, doing that.

Of course, there’s only so much water you can drink or essential oils you can diffuse or books you can read before you get hopeless about your whole “journey.” Maybe it’s because as a society, we like instant results. Or maybe (a bit more cynically speaking), we’re never really supposed to get our lives together.

Think about it: as people, we are always urged to find our sense of stability, of perfect peace. But how many people actually stay at that point, permanently? Pretty much no one, because people get bored. People want to grow more, do more, challenge themselves more.

Besides, even if you think that your life is a mess…that’s only your perspective. Someone else may be looking at your life and thinking that you have all the answers because you’re focusing on your art/you always look put together/ you’re making money moves. The grass is always greener on the other side. (And that is why you should never judge a person by their Instagram feed.)

Am I saying that you should give up on self-improvement? Not necessarily. I’m more so encouraging you to stop stressing yourself out about it. Rome wasn’t built in a day, no one really finds success overnight (even if it looks that way), and no matter what point you are at in your journey, you don’t have to rush to the end.

When it comes to getting your life together, it is not a race against time or others. It’s a journey to do at your own pace, in your own way, and by your own standards. 

So go ahead: buy that self-help book, download that habit tracker app, find a new wellness thing to try. Just don’t hitch your self-worth and success to that, because really, no one has their sh*t together.

What do you think?

Are you struggling through a quarter-life crisis? What are you trying to improve about your life? What’s been on your mind lately– and how can College Fashion help? Let us know in the comments!