You’re in your twenties, either getting ready to finish up college, or already have your undergraduate degree under your belt. Maybe graduation seems too far away to even think about right now, or maybe continuing your education seems like a far reach for you at this point. Maybe you’re working and supporting yourself, looking for something else, something more, but ultimately find yourself at a dead end, stuck with nowhere to go. No matter which circumstance you are in, I would just like to let you know that everything is going to be okay.

Your twenties are arguably some of the most exciting years of your life – you’re just finishing school, trying to find the right career for yourself, all while trying to satisfy that constant hunger for adventure. While it can be very exciting, being in your twenties and being bombarded by possibilities and opportunities, it can also be one of the scariest times in your life. Scary because you are putting so much pressure on yourself to try and accomplish as much as possible in such a short space of time. You convince yourself that if you don’t live up to these expectations and don’t have the experiences you would like to have, or if you don’t cross off enough on your bucket list, you feel an overwhelming sense of failure. Failure is terrifying, and no matter how much we try to avoid it, failure is inevitable.

Unfortunately, as you find yourself further away from your teens and closer to your thirties, you find yourself in situations where you can’t help but feel like your life is at a standstill, whether that be you’re too comfortable at your job, you haven’t accomplished anything worth posting on social media, or you haven’t been out on some crazy excursion with your “ride or die” squad in awhile. While these scenarios, and more, may apply to your life, that doesn’t necessarily mean that there’s nothing to celebrate. Instead of drowning in your own pool of boredom or regret, there’s still some comfort in knowing that it’s never too late to actively pursue your dreams and interests, just as long as you put yourself out there.

Sometimes, though, when you do put in everything and more in an attempt to accomplish something great, you end up falling short, and that feeling of failure sets in once again. You find yourself staring at a giant brick wall, a dead end, with nowhere to turn. Despite your short comings, chances are you’re still killing it in other ways. Whether you’re in school pursuing a degree, making some type of income, cutting rent checks, or paying bills, these are all major accomplishments that you probably weren’t even doing a few years ago. Being able to say “I’m supporting myself” or “I’m working towards something” should be an accomplishment in itself. With this in mind as you’re working hard towards your goals, you won’t feel like an unproductive waste of space.

My final word to you, twenty-something, is that you shouldn’t feel like you’re failing at life just because you haven’t done anything groundbreaking in awhile. If you’re constantly on top, breaking ground, constantly piling achievement upon achievement, you’re going to look down and realize just how much you’ve lost sight of the ground that’s supposed to catch you. Sometimes, you need to go through experiences that will keep your feet on the ground. It’s great to have a new job to post on Facebook, and the feeling you get when you reach another milestone is phenomenal. But there’s also pride in simplicity and just living your life day by day.